A proposal to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21-years-old in Monroe County, N.Y. has been defeated, as the county legislatures’s Agenda/Charter Committee defeated it by a 3-2 vote on Monday night that was also split down party lines.

The bill was introduced last week by Legislator LaShay Harris, D-Rochester, and would have also applied to e-cigarettes.

Monroe County is home to approximately 747,000 people. It is located on the south shore of Lake Ontario and includes the city of Rochester.

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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.