Albany County Raising Age to Purchase Tobacco

According to timesunion.com, lawmakers will be raising the age to purchase tobacco in Albany County from 18 to 21.

Albany County lawmakers voted 24-13 to raise the age to to purchase tobacco products, which includes e-cigs and related paraphernalia. The signed legislation will prevent anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing the products. Albany County is now embracing the Tobacco 21 Push along with New York City, and both Suffolk and Chautauqua counties. Two other New York counties (Nassau and Onondaga) have raised the age to 19.

143 municipalities across the country have passed similar legislation according to the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation. The Albany County law was sponsored by Democrat Paul Miller, who said, "I'm thrilled legislators backed this important health initiative. It will reduce the amount of people who get addicted to nicotine by stopping them from smoking at an early age." He hopes the law will help keep cigarettes out of high schools. Attempts to raise the age statewide in 2015 failed to get out of committee in either the Assembly or Senate.

Store owners who violate the law could face fines between $300 and $1000 for the first offense and $500 and $1500 for subsequent violations.