Florida county raises tobacco buying age to 21

(PeterFranz/Flickr)

Alachua County is now the first Florida county to raise the tobacco-buying age to 21, according to Gainesville.com.

They say that county commissioners voted on Tuesday night to hoke the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21. This new ordinance will be enforced in all areas of the county and applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, vaping products and liquid nicotine devices.

The ordinance also requires tobacco vendors to buy a sales license, the newspaper reports. The license costs $230 annually per business and stores with licenses cannot be within 1,000 feet of a public school.

Jerry Brewington, a senior planner for the county's growth management office, told Gainesville.com that the ordinance is aimed at stopping the sale of tobacco products. This means that those under 21 won't be penalized for smoking. 

The ordinance reportedly passed 5-0 and will take effect in nine months.