Continuing a trend in New Jersey of cities and towns raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco and nicotine delivery products, the Rutherford Borough Council voted unanimously on Monday to restrict those products to persons 21 and older, according to NorthJersey.com.
Retailers will bear the burden of verifying a potential customer’s age, with fines starting at $250 for selling to a person under 21-years-old. That increases to $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for a third violation.
The increase will go into effect in 20 days.
Rutherford becomes the ninth city to make the increase, joining Englewood, East Rutherford, Teaneck, Bogota, Garfield, Highland Park, Sayreville and Princeton.
There is also a proposal to raise the minimum purchasing age to 21 at the state level, which currently sits at 19-years-old. The state senate approved it last June and it currently sits with the state assembly.
Rutherford is located about 10 miles northeast of Newark and home to just over 18,000 residents.