San Antonio City Council this week will take up the very controversial issue of whether the sale of cigarettes should be prohibited to people under the age of 21, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Dr. Colleen Bridger, the Metro Health Director, says studies have shown that most people start smoking between the ages of 15 and 17, and high schoolers are very likely to have a friend who is 18 years old and can legally buy them cigarettes, which is by far the most common way underage people acquire tobacco. That 15 year old is far less likely to have a friend who is 21.
Dr. Bridger says this will not be a new law, just an expansion of existing laws.
"The city already enforces a ban on possession for people under 18, do the process will be the same," she said.
The proposal to come before Council on Thursday bans the sale of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes to anybody under the age of 21. It requires that all stores selling tobacco products post a sign warning that it is a crime for people under the age of 21 to buy the products, and calls for a fine of up to $2,000 for violations.
The proposal is controversial for many reasons.
Libertarians are concerned that it prevents people who are of legal age from buying a legal product, on the grounds that they might harm their own health. They point out that laws forbidding the sale of alcohol to people under 21 are different, because it has been proven that somebody between 18 and 21 is far more likely to harm another person.
They point out the people who are 18 years old are trusted to pick up a weapon and go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, something that is also likely to be hazardous to their health, as well as vote, sign contracts, and engage in all other legal activities, but the City of San Antonio doesn't trust them to be able to handle a cigarette.
Convenience store operators say they will be the big losers, because customers will simply drive to the suburbs or into unincorporated Bexar County to buy not just cigarettes, but gasoline and other products, because they won't want to make two stops.
Dr. Bridger rejects that claim."What we have seen in the 280 other cities that have already passed 'Tobacco 21,' is there is not a lot of bleed-over into other cities to purchase tobacco products," she said.
Advocates for the law say cigarette smoking remains a major financial burden on the taxpayers, in terms of health care costs and mortality, and San Antonio can take the lead on this issue.
"This is the start of an effort to bring all of the other municipalities in Bexar County and Bexar County, into agreeing with this ordinance as well."