CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island city has passed an ordinance banning the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21.
WJAR-TV reports that the ordinance passed Monday night by the Central Falls City Council is the first of its kind in the state. It prohibits retailers in the city from selling tobacco products to anyone who’s underage.
Councilor Jonathan Acosta objected to the ordinance, saying the issue should be addressed through education “and not through prohibition.”
The state Department of Health says less than 5 percent of teenagers in high school smoke. That figure is among the lowest in the U.S.
