SAN ANTONIO – The vote on raising the age to purchase tobacco in San Antonio from 18 to 21 will not happen until next year.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has postponed the vote from Thursday to sometime in January.

Opponents believe the ordinance would push tobacco users to buy from retailers outside the city and bring it back to San Antonio, which would be illegal. Metro Health, which is pushing to raise the age to 21, said it doesn’t expect that to be a problem.

The Metro Health director said the agency would focus on the retailers’ compliance.