New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has finally found an ally in his crusade to control New Yorkers’ eating and living habits – doctors.
Health practitioners have lined up behind the nanny state mayor’s newest proposal, raising the minimum age to purchase cigarettes in the city from 18 years to 21 years, despite the vast opposition the proposal is getting from college freshman, small business owners and individual rights advocates.
“I think a 21-year-old is much more likely, based on their maturity and life experiences, to be able to make an informed rational decision about a behavior that might affect the rest of their life than, say, an 18-year-old,” Dr. Michael Steinberg, director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at Rutgers University, told CNN.
Steinberg previously co-authored a study with University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey professor Dr. Christine Delnevo about the importance of Bloomberg’s proposal in helping to curb these numbers and decrease health risks. According to their study, New York health officials estimate that raising the purchasing age to 21 will cut tobacco use by 55 percent among 18-to 20-year-olds and lead to a 67 percent drop among teens aged 14 to 17 years,.
He does realize, however, that the proposal will not completely solve the problem.
“It’s not going to fix the problem in and of itself,” Steinberg told CNN. “You also need educational programs.”
The proposal, which was introduced in April by Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley and City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn, would prohibit those under 21 from purchasing cigarettes, although it would not keep those individuals from possessing or smoking cigarettes.
“With this legislation, we’ll be targeting the age group at which the overwhelming majority of smokers start,” Quinn said during a press conference introducing the proposal.
The mayor’s proposal is expected to be voted on this fall.
