KINGSTON – Ulster County
Executive Michael Hein Monday said he will propose raising the legal age
by which to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. Orange County has
just enacted that law, which will take effect on June 1.
Hein said that statistics are clear – 90 percent of all smokers
in the US light up by age 18.
“If we can postpone the time of the first cigarette, we can make
an enormous difference in avoiding preventable cancers, stroke and heart
disease among our children,” he said. “We have a real opportunity
to do something from a public health perspective.”
County Legislature Chairman Kenneth Ronk supports the idea for health
reasons, but he would like the measure’s language be such that it
does not hurt the merchant that currently sells tobacco products.
“Almost everywhere else in the state, it is 18 and it is going to
take a breaking in period where I would like to see fines waived for a
certain period of time,” he said. “That is something that
comes in negotiations.”
Hein will formally announce his initiative when he delivers his annual
state of the county address on Thursday.
