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Smoking
New York bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s
The city council voted today to raise the minimum age for purchasing both cigarettes and electronic-vapour cigarettes.
SMOKERS UNDER THE age of 21 will soon be barred from buying cigarettes in New York City.
The city council voted today to raise the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and electronic-vapour cigarettes from 18 to 21.
By passing the bill, New York became the most populous place in the US to raise the tobacco-buying age that high.
The city’s current age limit of 18 is a federal minimum which is standard in many places.
Some states and communities have raised the age to 19 and at least two towns have agreed to raise it to 21.
Advocates say higher age limits help prevent young people from taking up a hazardous habit. Manufacturers have suggested young adult smokers may just turn to black-market merchants.
However New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration supports the council’s plan.
Related: Judge orders end to smoking ban in New York state parks>
Read: ‘Why do they make smokes anyway?’: Tallaght schoolchildren have their say on new cigarette packaging>
