New York City council votes to make tobacco-buying age 21 Wed Oct 30,2013

Smokers younger than 21 in New York city will soon be barred from buying cigarettes after the New York City Council voted overwhelming Wednesday Oct 30,2013 to raise the tobacco-purchasing age to higher than all but a few other places in the United States.

City lawmakers approved the bill - which raises from 18 to 21 the purchasing age for cigarettes, certain tobacco products and even electronic-vapor smokes - and another that sets a minimum $10.50-a-pack price for tobacco cigarettes and steps up law enforcement on illegal tobacco sales

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is a strong supporter of the tough smoking restrictions, has 30 days to sign the bills into law. The minimum age bill will take effect 180 days after enactment.

The New York city's current age limit is 18, a federal minimum that's standard in many places. Smoking in city parks and beaches is already prohibited as it is in restaurants.

Advocates say higher age limits help prevent, or at least delay, young people from taking up a habit that remains the leading cause of preventable deaths nationwide. And supporters point to drinking-age laws as a precedent for setting the bar at 21.