Under a new proposal, New Yorkers under the age of 21 would not be able to buy cigarettes in New York City, according to the New York Times.
The new plan, drawn up by Dr. Thomas A. Farley, health commissioner for New York City, and Christine C. Quinn, City Council Speaker, is the most recent effort by the city to cut down on smoking.
The efforts, which began after Mayor Michael Bloomberg stepped into office, have included banning smoking in restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, plazas, among other public areas.
With the new proposal, an individual would have the weight until the age 21 to legally buy his or her first pack of Malboro and their first shot of vodka. However, unlike the possession of alcohol, it has not been made clear whether the underage possession of cigarettes will be illegal.
According to Wall Street Journal, a recent study shows that teen smoking among New York City youth has remained dormant over the past few years. After the city saw a significant drop in 2007 to 8.5 percent, the amount of teens smoking has hovered around that number for the past 6 years.
According to Dr. Susan Kansagra, assistant commissioner for chronic disease prevention and tobacco control, the city must continue its efforts to stop youth smoking.
"With any action there's a counteraction so you have to continually innovate," she said. "Given that our youth rates have not declined in recent years, I think that's an indication that there is much more work on the part of industry to recruiting these customers and we need to react the same way."
According to the New York Times, even though the city continues to push for stronger laws against smoking, city officials have experienced defeat in some of Bloomberg’s public health initiatives.
A policy to put extreme advertisements against smoking where cigarettes are sold was reversed in court. A policy banning the sale of drinks with an excessive amount of sugar was also banned. The policy would have banned the sale of these drinks at sporting events, movie theaters and in other areas.
