By Kari Milchman

We know Mayor Bloomberg hates smoking and kids on cell phones so it makes sense that he hates kids smoking, whether they’re on cell phones or not. After passing his citywide smoking ban in bars and restaurants and his
cell phone ban in public schools, Mayor Bloomberg may support a new bill that would raise the age requirement to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21. This might seem unnecessary considering NYC has significantly lower rates of teen smoking than the national average, a happy little fact which Bloomberg credits to high cigarette taxes. Last year, New York state lawmakers attempted to raise the statewide smoking age to 19 but didn’t succeed. Some studies reveal that there has actually been little effect on youth in those states that have raised the smoking age by one year. That’s odd, considering 19-year-olds are so much more mature than 18-year-olds, what with that whole year after high school to weigh the dangerous effects of tobacco. But did you know that Bloomberg is an ex-smoker himself? And if you knew that, did you know that he’s also an ex-18-year-old? It’s just not fair; it seems if he can’t die young from cancer, then, by golly, no one will!