New York to Raise Age Limit of Cigarette Use to 21 ‘to save more lives’

The New York City Council voted to raise age limit of cigarette use from 18 to 21. The decision was made to save more lives and is applicable on both traditional and electronic cigarettes.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is surely very glad of the decision as he is known to push stricter regulations that can protect the health of the citizens, has 30 days to sign the bill. "Tobacco 21" will be effective 180 days after signing.

"We know that tobacco dependence can begin very soon after a young person first tries smoking so it's critical that we stop young people from smoking before they ever start," Mr Bloomberg said in a statement Wednesday.

The current minimum age for people to be allowed to buy and use cigarette across the United States is 18 but with this new move, NYC will become the most populated city that will carry out stricter age restriction on the matter.

The panel voted 35 to 10 to have the limit raised, Reuters reports.

City Councilman James Gennaro, the bill sponsor, told BBC that it would "literally save many, many lives". He also shared that his mother has died of tobacco-related illnesses and he wouldn't want that to happen to other people.

The health department projected that changing the age limit of cigarette use will cut the number of people using cigarette between age 18 and 20 by half.

It is not only NYC who has changed the age limits of cigarette use. People from Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah are not allowed to smoke if they are not yet at least 19 years old. The first to raise the age limit to 21 was Needham, Massachusetts in 2005.

Health officials are celebrating on the approval of "Tobacco 21" but teens are not so happy about it as they felt that the government has gone overboard in making life decisions for them.

"You're an adult; you should be able to buy a pack of cigarettes," a New Yorker told CNN. "I mean, you can think for yourself."

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