In recent years New York City has instituted public bans on smoking in restaurants, salons, bars, and in its public parks, The city has also already created the highest cigarette tax in the nation under the Bloomberg administration.

Now, the city hopes to increase the age that people can buy cigarettes in order to further curb the dangerous addiction.

The debate comes shortly after the famous ban on large sodas was struck down by a judge. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was slated to begin discussing details of a planned law that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from its current age of 18 to the age of 21. The move has support from the City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley as well as other City Council members.

Last month, the Bloomberg administration proposed laws to hide cigarettes in convince stores, so youngsters wouldn't be enticed to purchase them. Another proposal aims to have cigarettes have a minimum price of $10.50 a pack.

Current federal laws prohibit the selling of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.Recent attempts to raise the age, on a state level, were made in Texas where lawmakers tried to increase the legal purchasing age to 21, but the law sits in limbo.

It has been 10 years since the city banned smoking in bars, salons, restaurants, and other indoor commercial spaces. And it has been effective: Dr. Thomas Farley, the City Health Commissioner, has stated that the rates of adult smoking in the city have fallen from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.8 percent in 2011.

Nearby, on Long Island, incuding Nassau and Suffolk counties, lawmakers have increased the age of tobacco product pruchasing to 19.