After a previous effort to raise the minimum age to purchasing tobacco to 21-years-old as part of a joint plan with Pima County sputtered, the Tucson City Council approved the second reading of its own ordinance by a 6-1 vote on Tuesday night.
The increase will apply to both traditional tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes and vaping devices when it goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The city included a 90-day educational period into the ordinance that will delay when enforcement of the increase begins.
Arizona now has five cities that have joined the Tobacco 21 movement, as Tucson joins Goodyear, Flagstaff, Douglas and Cottonwood. A proposal to raise the minimum age statewide stalled in the legislature in May.
Tucson is home to just over 500,000 residents and is home to the University of Arizona.
