New York City bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s

2013-11-01 16:23 China Daily Web Editor: Yao Lan

New York City bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s

New York City has voted to ban the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under the age of 21, raising the previous threshold of 18.

New York is the first large city in the US to raise the age limit so high, a resolution that follows years of increasingly stringent laws on tobacco.

The federal age requirement for buying cigarettes is 18, which some states previously raised to 19.

A spokeswoman for New York City council said the proposal was approved by 35 votes to 10.

New York was the pioneer of a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and public places - initially criticised - but since adopted in cities across the West.

Cigarette taxes are also the highest in the US.

Authorities hope that raising the legal age for buying cigarettes will reduce the number of smokers aged 18-20 by 55 percent.

But the move will be unpopular among those who feel that outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already over-stepped the line between protecting public health and interfering with personal choice.

City hall has said that in 10 years the percentage of adults who smoke has fallen from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.8 percent in 2011.

Among young people it has remained unchanged since 2007, at 8.5 percent according to official statistics.

纽约市禁止向21岁以下的人销售香烟

纽约市投票禁止向21岁以下的人出售香烟、电子香烟和烟草，提高之前18岁的门槛。

纽约市是美国第一个将购烟年龄限制提得如此高的城市，这个解决方案是紧跟这些年来越来越严格的烟草法律。

联邦法律规定购买香烟的年龄是18岁，其中一些州之前提高至19岁。

纽约市议会的一位发言人称，该提案以35票对10票通过。

纽约市是在酒吧、餐馆和公共场所进行吸烟禁令的先驱，最初饱受批评批评——但在西部城市得到采用。

纽约市的烟草税也是美国最高的。

当局希望提高购买香烟的法定年龄能减少55%18至20岁的吸烟者数量。

但是，此举被认为是即将离任的市长迈克尔·布隆伯格超出了保护公众健康和介入个人选择之间的界限，是不得人心的。

纽约市政府表示，10年内，成年吸烟者比例从2002年21.5%下降到2011年的14.8%。