Shortly after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg came to office, he passed what he considers one of his signature achievements, the banning of smoking in restaurants and bars in New York City. Now, on the eve of the end of the Bloomberg era, the mayor has signed a law banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21 within the five boroughs.
The law, which Mr. Bloomberg signed on Tuesday, will take effect six months later, in mid-May, long after Mr. Bloomberg has handed his office over to Bill de Blasio, a liberal Democrat who has pledged to reverse many of Mr. Bloomberg’s policies that, Mr. de Blasio said, favored the moneyed class in the city. Mr. Bloomberg’s health initiatives seem secure.
