To the Editor:

The Albany County Legislature has a chance to save lives when it votes on Local Law C on Monday, May 9. This law will raise the age to 21 to purchase cigarettes, tobacco products, liquid nicotine, or electronic cigarettes.

The American Heart Association urges the legislature to approve this measure.

Smoking is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the Number 1 and Number 5 causes of death in the United States. Past legislative action — like the Clean Indoor Air Act and raising the tax on cigarettes — helped lower smoking rates.

In the past decade, we have seen smoking rates plummet. Adult smoking rates are down to around 16 percent and youth smoking rates have dropped by about 40 percent to 11 percent. But, 90 percent of adults who smoke started by 21, and half were regular smokers by the time they were 18.

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine found that tobacco use would decrease by 12 percent by the time today’s teenagers were adults if the minimum age of sale were increased to 21 years.

This matters because more than a half million New Yorkers live with serious smoking-caused illnesses and disabilities, causing about $8.17 billion in health care expenditures annually. Roughly 25,400 New Yorkers die each year from tobacco-related illnesses.

Albany County has a chance to change this. Join us in asking the Legislature to pass Local Law C.

Kristin Salvi

Director, Government Relations, New York State

American Heart Association