© 2024 WEMU
Serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, MI
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
0000017d-4e0c-dda1-a7fd-4fde73920000

Ann Arbor's 21-Year-Old Tobacco Buying Restrictions Overruled

Wikimedia Commons

The state Attorney General has derailed Ann Arbor’s attempt to raise the age for legally buying tobacco.

The city passed an ordinancein July forbidding stores from selling tobacco to anyone under 21.

State Senator Rick Jones asked the Attorney General for the opinion.  He says he got a lot of calls about the ordinance from concerned constituents.

“It wasn’t gonna stop anybody from smoking because the 18, 19, 20 year-olds could simply drive a block or two, get out of the city and buy all they wanted,” says Jones.  “So the only people that were being hurt were the mom and pop stores that were just trying to make a living.”

In his opinion, Attorney General Bill Schuette says the ordinance is contrary to the Age of Majority Act – which says anyone 18 years old or older is considered a legal adult.

Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support.  Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.

—Cheyna Roth is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network.  Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org

Related Content