Youth Group Leads Dover In Historic Vote On Raising Smoking Age
The Youth to Youth group might have been turned down at the State level, but it did not stop them from making history in their own backyard.
First reported in Fosters.com, the City Council voted to approve the ordinance change last night, raising the age to legally possess, use and purchase tobacco products in Dover to 21 years old. Members of the group spoke during a public hearing before the council vote. Dover is the first municipality in the Granite State to adopt this policy. They said the by raising the age from 18 years old to 21 to purchase, possess and use tobacco would increase the health and safety of the youth in the city, as reported by Fosters. Traditional tobacco use wasn't the focal point, but there has been a dramatic rise in e-cigarette use.
The local vote comes after a bill that would have raised the age statewide to 21 failed in the Senate. Currently, the age statewide is 18, but municipalities are allowed to adopt laws on a local level.
The new ordinance will go into effect after the city publishes a notice in local media about the change, as reported by Fosters.