Ann Arbor Will Require You To Be 21 To Buy Tobacco Products

Ann Arbor will soon be the first city in Michigan that will require you to be 21-years-old to buy tobacco products.  In the wake of several college campuses going tobacco free (Michigan State University's tobacco ban goes into effect August 15th), Ann Arbor is taking a different course of action to curb tobacco use.

Last Thursday, the Ann Arbor city council approved an ordinance to increase the age requirement to purchase tobacco from 18-years-old to 21-years-old.  The city ordinance was passed almost unanimously with a vote of 9-1 in favor of the law.

Ann Arbor is the first city in the state that has instituted an increase in the required age for tobacco purchase.  The Detroit Free Press reported that "According to a news release from the City of Ann Arbor, tobacco use among youths 'continues to be a significant public health concern.' The city said 9.2% of Washtenaw County high school students reported that they had smoked a cigarette."  So the ordinance may be targeted more at high school aged youths in Ann Arbor, rather than University of Michigan students.

The ordinance will go into effect on January 1, 2017.  The ordinance will still allow people over the age of 18 to use tobacco in the city, but they will be unable to purchase tobacco products.

What do you think about this new ordinance?