News Summary: NYC mulls raising age for cigarettes
News Summary: NYC proposes raising age for cigarette purchases to 21 from 18
THE PROPOSAL: No one under 21 would be able to buy cigarettes in New York City, under a proposal that marks the latest in a decade of moves to crack down on smoking in the nation's largest city.
THE SMOKERS: Officials say 80 percent of NYC smokers started before age 21, and an estimated 20,000 New York City public high school students now smoke.
THE BACKGROUND: Under federal law, no one under 18 can buy tobacco anywhere in the country, but some states and localities have raised it to 19. Texas lawmakers recently tried to increase the minimum age to 21, but the plan stalled.
