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The New York City Council has raised the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. Adults must certainly be of legal drinking age before they can buy cigarettes, electric cigarettes or any cigarettes and tobacco products. New York City is the largest city to improve the smoking age from 18 to 21. In an additional measure, the town also increased the minimum cost of a pack of any nicotine products to $10.50 and banned the discounting of cigarettes and tobacco products.
This may be the latest of countless attempts by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to place tight restrictions on smoking within the city. Previously he’s worked to kick cigarettes out of bars and restaurants and even raise tobacco taxes on packs of any nicotine products along with other smokeables sold in the city. Within an interesting twist, Bloomberg’s measure didn’t cover the sale of bongs or pipes reviewed marijuana.
“By increasing the smoking age to 21 we’ll help prevent another generation in the ill health and shorter life expectancy that comes with smoking,” said Bloomberg.?“It’s crucial that we stop young adults from smoking before they ever start.”
Bloomberg now has Thirty days to sign the bill into law. After which, what the law states goes into effect after 180 days.
Though Bloomberg’s office praises the prior tries to squash smoking in the city, lots of people smokers and non-smokers alike view these efforts up to now another step taken towards a Nanny State. Bloomberg’s previous attempt to ban large soda containers was quite controversial and even brought non-New Yorkers in to the fray to oppose the measure.
According to City Hall, the number of smokers in Ny fell from 21.Five percent to 14.8 percent between 2002 and 2011. Bloomberg’s office is expecting similar results from this measure, saying they expect the amount of 18-20 year-old smokers to drop by more than half. Their previous measures have already worked to lessen the amount of senior high school smokers by 8.Five percent between 2001 and 2011.
Those who disagree using the new measure most notably cigarette manufacturers say it’ll only drive young adults to find their smokes on the black market and make much more trouble for the town.
“New York City already has got the highest cigarette tax rate and the highest cigarette smuggling rate in the united states,” said Bryan D. Hatchell , a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company inside a statement to ABC News. “Those go hand in hand and this new law will only make the problem worse.”
As noted by the Ny Post, there’s some discrepancy in the legal tobacco smoking age and also at the age of teenagers can buy marijuana paraphernalia. Climax illegal to market pipes, water bongs along with other smoking accessories you can use with marijuana, shops can sell these goods when they claim they’re for tobacco only use. What this means is an 18 year-old New Yorker is now able to legally purchase a pipe to smoke marijuana but cannot buy a cigar.
Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary sodas was also met with some criticism and was ultimately struck down by New York’s Top court. Justice Milton Tingling said the measure was “fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences.”
