Boise Could Raise the Legal Smoking Age to 21

You can legally smoke in Boise right now if you're 18, but that may increase to 21 in the near future.  Here's why.

There's a big campaign across the country to raise the legal smoking age, and while it's unlikely that there would be a blanket law passed that would boost the age to 21, city ordinances may be changed so the smoking age is higher in certain spots.

They've added up the costs of smoking-related health issues and in Idaho it totals more than $500 million.  Raising the legal sale age to 21 for tobacco products would be one way to cut into that, save money, and help those in their late teens be healthier longr.  Would raising the legal smoking age work?  That remains to be seen.

My dad smoked when he first met my mom, and she didn't like the habit.  So he quit cold turkey and tells me he never regretted it, and he's glad that she came along when she did, and gave him the motivation to kick the habit.

It might boil down to personal choice, family goals, and self-discipline.  But the Tobacco 21 coalition, led by Saint Alphonsus and Trinity Health, aims to have an impact on Treasure Valley smokers too.  So far more than a hundred and thirty-five cities across the US have raised the smoking age, and Boise could be next.