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Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor

(File photo )

ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor is taking to Facebook to defend the city's new Tobacco 21 law.

The newly enacted ordinance raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products in Ann Arbor from 18 to 21, differing from state law.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued a written opinion last week saying state law actually preempts the city's ordinance.

City Council Member Julie Grand, who sponsored the ordinance, said at a council meeting Monday night, Feb. 6, the attorney general's opinion doesn't invalidate the city's ordinance and she expects the city will vigorously defend it.

Taylor offered similar remarks on his Facebook page on Tuesday, making it clear he expects retailers to continue to comply with the ordinance.

"Tobacco 21 prevents tobacco addiction, a lifetime of smoking-related disease, and early death," the mayor wrote.

"I support Ann Arbor's Tobacco 21 ordinance. The law remains on the books and it is the obligation of retailers in Ann Arbor to comply. If the law is challenged, I will do everything I can to ensure that we successfully defend it."

One of the goals of the law, which has been enacted in many communities across the country as part of the Tobacco 21 movement, is to reduce the number of high school teenagers who start smoking by making it more difficult for them to get their slightly older peers to buy cigarettes for them.

Backed by data from the Institute of Medicine, city officials believe raising the minimum legal age of access to tobacco products is likely to delay initiation and reduce prevalence across all ages, with the largest proportionate reduction emerging among adolescents ages 15 to 17.

Grand, who has a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Michigan, brought forward the ordinance with support from several health professionals.

The city is hopeful the implementation of the law in Ann Arbor will spur neighboring jurisdictions and the state to eventually adopt the policy.

But with Ann Arbor being the only municipality in Michigan with such a law right now, some argue it's unfair to retailers in the city who might be losing tobacco sales among people ages 18 to 20 to retailers just outside the city.