Joined by health and anti-smoking advocates, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week that the Council would introduce legislation that ups the minimum age requirement on tobacco purchases from 18 to 21. If passed, New York City will become the first major city in the United States to hold a 21 years of age minimum.

“By delaying our city’s children and young adults access to lethal tobacco products, we’re decreasing the likelihood they ever start smoking, and thus, creating a healthier city,” Quinn said.

The idea behind the proposal is that the earlier a person begins smoking, the more likely they are to become a life-smoker. The less access youths have to these products, the less likely they are to ever start smoking. Raising the tobacco purchasing age would also essentially eliminate legal cigarette smoking at and around New York City high schools.

“Considering that 85 percent of U.S. smokers begin their deadly habit before they reach age 21, this legislation would help prevent more youth from succumbing to an addiction that could cost them their lives,” said Jeff Seyler, president and CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast.

Health Department officials, who support the legislation, say people begin to move from social smokers to regular smokers around the age of 20, and most who are not smokers by 21 remain nonsmokers for life.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has consistently battled for a non-smoking city by banning cigarettes in restaurants and bars, as well as public parks and beaches. His anti-smoking campaigns include commercials and advertisements showcasing the gruesome harms of smoking tobacco.

Under federal law, the legal smoking age is 18, but some states and towns have already increased their minimum to 19.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.