While electronic cigarettes may be to blame, the age to purchase tobacco products in Berkeley, Calif. could be changing, after Councilman Jesse Arreguín has said he will be introducing a proposal to raise the minimum purchase age to 21 when the council reconvenes next month.

Arreguín has not issued a formal statement via his Twitter account or city council page, but told CBS SF Bay Area that he considers tobacco and nicotine delivery products to be as dangerous as alcohol and should be restricted to those over 21 years of age.

The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to hear the proposal at its Sept. 15 meeting.

Berkeley is home to just under 117,000 residents and is located 10 miles northeast of San Francisco. It is also home to the University of California at Berkeley, which has an undergraduate population of just over 27,000 students.

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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.