For Immediate Release April 7, 2018
Gainesville, Fla. – LPF Director At-Large 2 Chris Rose II appeared before the Alachua County Commission this week opposing raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes. “Am I any more of an adult than somebody else?” Rose asked.
“It’s going to affect other American adults,” said Rose. “It’s going to affect American adults living right here in Alachua county. My question to y’all is ‘Why don’t those adults have the same rights as I do?’ Am I more of an adult than they are because I’m over a certain age?”
County commissioners met March 27 to discuss raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes from the current 18 to 21 years of age. The review came at the request of the Alachua County Health Care Advisory board that also wants a thousand-foot buffer zone between stores that sell tobacco and schools.
Tuesday, Rose challenged commissioners if they planned to define “adult” as someone older than 21 years. “Or are you going to just pick and choose what we want them to do?”
Commissioners requested Interim County Attorney Sylvia E. Torres to draft an ordinance and schedule a public hearing.
– J. Mark Barfield (Author)
