Ann Arbor is Raising Tobacco-Buying Age to 21

Ann Arbor is the first city in Michigan to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21.

According to MLive, Ann Arbor City Council voted 9-2 Thursday to approve an ordinance to raise the legal age one can buy tobacco from 18 to 21.

Supporters of the ordinance hope to decrease the amount of teen smokers and prevent early tobacco addiction.

Opponents are concerned that the ordinance goes against state law, specifically Michigan's Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1993, which says that local governments "shall not impose any new requirement or prohibition pertaining to the sale or licensure of tobacco products for distribution purposes."

City officials in favor of the ordinance believe it's an issue worth fighting for, even if the city ends up in court. They hope that eventually it will become state law.

The new tobacco purchase age ordinance will go into effect January 1st,  MLive reports.

In January, Hawaii became the first state to raise the legal tobacco purchase age to 21; California followed in May.