“New Jersey raises smoking age to 21”

New Jersey is set to become the third state to raise its smoking age to 21, after Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill last Friday that hikes the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 19. We "are giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be and that it is better to not start smoking in the first place," Christie said in a statement.  A reduction in smoking-related health problems also would ease the strain on the state's health care system. New Jersey's new law applies to e-cigarettes, as well as conventional tobacco products, and triggers fines against anyone who sells, gives or offers such products to someone younger than 21. It went into effect November 1. Hawaii, in 2015, became the first state to do so. California followed suit a year later. Raising the minimum age to 21 nationwide would result in almost 250,000 fewer premature deaths and 45,000 fewer lung cancer deaths among people born between 2000 and 2019, a 2015 study by National Institute of Medicine found.

In Other News Following this week’s NYC terrorists attack, officials are shoring up security for Sunday's kickoff of the New York City Marathon. With more than 51,000 runners expected, the annual 26.2-mile race is one of the largest in the world. As many as 2.5 million spectators could be along the race route. In preparation, the New York Police Department has added more sand trucks and vehicles along the course — the most ever deployed at the event. They will have more than doubled the number of rooftop observation teams and counter-sniper teams, and there will be more heavy weapons teams and police dogs throughout the city. Walruses are facing a "death sentence" after the Trump administration declined last month to list the Pacific walrus as endangered, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The conservation group, which took legal action starting in 2008 to get walruses on the list, says the White House's decision puts the species in a dire state as it confronts the effects of climate change. "The sea ice model projections indicate that the sea ice decline is going to continue through the end of the century, so a good deal of their habitat is still going to be lost in the future," Jay says. "It's really hard to say how well they're going to deal with that as conditions get worse.” Jay says walruses depend on sea ice for breeding, feeding and nursing their young, and to avoid predators.