New York State proposes raising smoking age to 21
The state of New York is now considering raising the age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21.
State Sen. Diane Savino and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal announced the plan to raise the minimum age on Sunday.
Savino, who is a former smoker, lost both her parents and a grandfather to lung cancer.
"This is an illness, and an addiction that will last me for the rest of my life," Savino said at a press conference on Sunday according to amNY.
The proposal follows a similar plan that was announced on April 22 in New York City. The city is also proposing setting the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes at $10.50.
"When we introduced our bill last Monday and began talking about it, I knew New York was a leader in public health and I knew that what we do gets watched by the state and the nation. But I had no idea that in less than a week's time we would already see legislation introduced in Albany," City Council speaker Christine Quinn, who is expected to run for New York City mayor, said to WCBS 880.
Currently, some states and localities including Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, Utah and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island have increased the smoking age to 19. New York City and state would be the first to raise it to 21.
Proponents of the age increase were hoping that they would be able to deter younger smokers. Quinn said to CBS New York that 80 percent of life-long smokers start before the age of 20, and that a majority of young smokers get their cigarettes from other younger relatives and friends who are 18 or 19.
Quinn added at the press conference that if the age requirement for purchasing tobacco products is increased, it could cut the smoking rate for 18 to 20-year-olds by 55 percent and decease the smoking rate for 14 to 17-year-olds by 67 percent, NY1 reported.
"We can affect both of those things by raising this age and make sure we cut off a lifelong addiction," she pointed out to WCBS 880.
