The village of Maywood, Ill. has passed an increase to the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, raising it from 18 to 21-years-old during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

The ordinance also makes it illegal for a person under 21 to possess or use tobacco, and adds language that allows law enforcement officers to seize and destroy and tobacco products should they find any on a person not of age.

With the increase, the Chicago metropolitan area has gained another supporter of the Tobacco 21 movement, as Chicago, Oak Park, Evanston, Deerfield, Naperville and Highland Park have all raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco. A bill is also under consideration in the state legislature to increase the tobacco purchase age to 21 statewide.

The increase goes into effect immediately. Results of the vote were confirmed by WBBM/CBS Chicago.

Maywood is home to approximately 25,000 residents and is located 12 miles west of Chicago.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.