Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Calls For Increasing Minimum Smoking Age To 21

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has called out for changes to the city's tobacco regulations that would see the minimum age for buying tobacco and nicotine products raised to 21. The current smoking age in Boston is 18.

If the city Board of Health approves Walsh's proposal then Boston would become the second major U.S. city after New York, to increase the legal age for tobacco sales. The proposal would cover everything from cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes to tobacco, reported Reuters.

"It is our responsibility to do what we can to guide our young people and create a healthier future for all Bostonians," said Walsh in a release on Wednesday.

"We know the consequences of tobacco use are real and can be devastating. These proposed changes send a strong message that Boston takes the issue of preventing tobacco addiction seriously, and I hope that message is heard throughout Boston and across the entire country."

A public hearing on the proposed regulations is expected to be held on December 3, and written comments can be submitted until December 9. The Board of Health will vote on the regulations on December 17. If approved, the changes will go into effect 60 days later, reported Boston Herald.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking is one of the major causes of preventable death in the United States and accounts for more than 480,000 annual deaths.

Although, the rate of cigarette use among Boston teens has gone down to 7.9 percent in 2013 from 15.3 percent in 2005, but use of e-cigarettes and inexpensive cigars has risen among teens over the past few years. The same nearly doubled from 11 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in 2013, according to Walsh's office.

Earlier this year, Walsh, a recovered alcoholic, also banned the use of tobacco products in public spaces in Boston, including the historic Fenway Park ballpark. The ban also applies to professional ballplayers, both the Red Sox and visiting teams. That ban will go into effect next April.