As of this afternoon, people under 21 years of age will not be able to purchase tobacco products or electronic cigarettes within Columbia city limits. The Columbia City Council voted Monday night to approve those changes as well as add e-cigarettes to Columbia’s indoor smoking ban. All three proposals from Councilmember Ginny Chadwick passed 6-1 with Laura Nauser being the lone dissenter.
Nauser said there are a few reasons she voted against these proposals.
“Two issues for me; smoking tobacco is a legal product. Still in this country today, with people who don’t like cigarettes, it is still a legal product that can be legally consumed. Second of all, all across this country, including our state, the age of majority is 18, you are considered an adult,” Nauser said.
Mayor Bob McDavid worked for 3 decades as an obstetrician and gynecologist and has seen the harms of smoking first hand, such as birth defects, stillbirths and others. He said, despite his beliefs that people should be able to do what they want, this ordinance will benefit the city long term.
“If this action tonight: there are a couple of twelve year olds in the City of Columbia who because cigarettes are a little harder to get, don’t start smoking, than this ordinance will have been well worth in and any tax revenue lost will have been a great investment in Columbia’s future,” McDavid said.
Prior to the vote there was a long public discussion on the matter. Many of those who spoke in favor of the ordinance cited the health concerns tobacco products pose to young adults. Meanwhile, most of the people who opposed the proposal had a financial stake in the industry. Others believed in the libertarian idea that people can make their own decisions, especially if you are old enough to vote or serve in the armed forces.
It is still legal for 18-21 year olds to possess tobacco products or e-cigarettes, they just cannot purchase them within the city. Columbia now becomes the 47th city in the country to adopt a tobacco 21 ordinance.
