At today’s Chicago City Council meeting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to announce that he wants to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and vaping products from 18 to 21 years old, something that would put Chicago on par with a growing number of large American cities, including New York City, Boston, Cleveland and Kansas City.

It’s the latest anti-tobacco proposal from the mayor, who just last week proposed a 90 cent tax increase on premium cigars, as well as increases on roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco, as part of his plan to generate $6 million to fund a program that seeks to help incoming freshmen transition to high school.

The city council meeting begins at 10 am.

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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.