SAN ANTONIO -- The city of San Antonio is raising the minimum for those who purchase cigarettes.

Beginning Oct. 1, retailers will no longer be able to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

RELATED | San Antonio City Council raises legal tobacco-buying age to 21

The change comes after city council passed an ordinance, which raised the minimum age from 18 to 21, in January. Critics call the change unfair to small businesses within city limits, forcing customers under the age of 21 to shop elsewhere.

However, Metro Health believes the advantages of the ordinance outweigh the disadvantages.