New York’s Mayor Bloomberg intends raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 – and he’s right. This is the generation which can be protected from Big Tobacco, writes Kathleen O’Meara.
Hearing the news report that New York’s Mayor Bloomberg intends raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, I couldn’t help noting that he was described as “an anti-smoking crusader”. It’s a suitable moniker. The Mayor’s zeal when it comes to the health of the citizens of New York is unmatched stateside.
And he is getting results. Since Bloomberg was first elected Mayor in 2002, the smoking rate in New York has dropped from 22 per cent to 14 per cent, the biggest decline in the United States and lower than many European states, including our own. That’s impressive. It’s due to a range of initiatives, like mass media campaigns for instance, and health warnings on packs.
In reality what it means is that fewer people are smoking, and fewer young people are starting to smoke. This means fewer deaths from smoking. More people are alive in New York today because of what Mayor Bloomberg is doing. There is less cancer and less heart disease.
Source: Kathleen O’Meara, thejournal.ie,01/11/2011
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