New York, NY - City Considers Raising Smoking Age from 18 to 21

New York, NY - A move to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 could have the support of the Bloomberg administration, the city's health commissioner said.

The chair of the City Council's health committee, Joel Rivera, recently introduced a bill that would make it illegal for anyone younger than 21 to buy cigarettes.

Commissioner Thomas Frieden, who helped push for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's citywide smoking ban in bars and restaurants, said he was open to anything that helps curb the habit. "It's certainly something that should be looked at,'' Frieden said. "We need to think about ways that we can further reduce smoking.''