New York Lawmakers Consider Increasing Legal Age to Buy Cigarettes
New York lawmakers are debating a bill that would increase the legal
age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 19 years old, the Albany Times
Union reported May 11.
The bipartisan measure was introduced in both houses of the legislature.
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D-Ossining), a sponsor of the bill, said
raising the age limit would prevent 18-year-old high school students
from encouraging younger students who are in the same social circles
as they are to smoke. The measure would also tighten students' access
to cigarettes, she said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 53 percent of students
had tried smoking by the time they left high school in 2002, compared
with 65 percent in 1998.
The New York Public Interest Research Group is against raising
the legal smoking age, saying it would have the opposite effect
on underage smoking. Blair Horner, legislative director of the group,
contended that high-school drinking increased after the age limit
was increased from 18 to 21.
"We believe we treat 18-year-olds as adults. To limit what
an adult can choose to do, based on no evidence other than that
they think it's a good idea, we don't think that's good enough,"
Horner said.
But Sen. James Alesi (R-Fairport), who is sponsoring the bill in
the Senate, said even though the bill is aimed at 18-year-olds,
it is really targeting younger high-school students. "We're
trying to broaden the gap between the 17-year-olds and the 18-year-olds
who get cigarettes legally," he said. "We want to eliminate
the source, and the 18-year-olds are a really big source."
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