Nassau County to Consider Bill to Raise Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

Nassau County, NY, the Empire State’s seventh most populous county, could be the next to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old. Legis. Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) introduced three separate pieces of tobacco and smoking related legislation on Friday for consideration by the county legislature’s Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow).

In addition to seeking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, Jacobs is seeking to ban smoking in county parks and within 20 feet of county buildings, as well as banning smoking in vehicles where minors are present. None have been placed on the agenda to be heard by the full legislature as of yet.

Jacobs told Newsday.com that “We certainly don’t want to be known as the oasis of smoking–I’m hoping the majority will agree with me.”

As of the 2010 Census, Nassau County is home to 1,339,532 residents. Together with neighboring Suffolk County, which is also considering a proposal to raise the minimum age to purchase to tobacco to 21, the two counties compose what is known as Long Island.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.