The town board of New Castle, N.Y. passed an ordinance at its May 8th meeting that will raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco alternative products from 18 to 21-years-old.

The increase will go into effect as soon as the ordinance has been filed with the Secretary of State. Retailers who sell tobacco to persons under 21 can face fines starting at $350 for a first offense that escalates to $1,000 and up to six months of jail time for a third offense.

New Castle is located just over 40 miles north of New York City and is home to approximately 18,000 residents.

 

Avatar photo

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.