Last month, an Arkansas city became the first in the state and the South to raise the legal age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21.
The Helena-West Helena City Council passed an ordinance limiting the sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes to those age 21 or older.
The vote was unanimous and the new rule goes into effect Sept. 1.
So far, more than 100 municipalities in nine states have raised the legal age to buy tobacco.
Supporters say it's about health and it only makes sense to raise the age to buy tobacco to the age where it is legal to buy alcohol.
Others say the city should defer to state law. They also say that if 18-year-olds are old enough to fight for their country, they should be old enough to decide for themselves whether to smoke.
We want to know what you think. Should the legal age for tobacco be raised to 21, or should it remain at 18?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, July 6. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Drunken Driving
This week's poll was about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that police must obtain a search warrant before forcing drivers suspected of being over the legal limit to take a blood test. Was the court right to require a warrant for blood alcohol tests? Or should public safety trump privacy concerns?
From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette
- How bout you don't drink and drive so you don't have to worry about it.
- It makes sense. A blood test is invasive and should only be performed with the proper search warrant.