There are some liberties afforded to adults that some minors are looking forward to as they make their way into the legal age. One of which is the right to purchase and smoke tobacco. However, if you happen to reside within the confines of San Francisco, you just have to wait a little longer.

A new law, set to take effect on June 1, has raised the minimum age in purchasing tobacco, including its e-cigarette counterpart, in the city of San Francisco, CNN reported.

It was a unanimous decision from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to approve the legislation that will now raise the legal age from 18 to 21 years old.

According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, postponing the initiation of young people to smoking could result to a lower prevalence of tobacco use in the United States. Apart from this, the report also said that the increase in the minimum legal age could reduce the death cases in the country related to smoking.

The Institute of Medicine estimates that an increase in the minimum legal age from 18 to 21 years across the nation can lead to about 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer, more than 220,000 fewer premature deaths and 4.2 million fewer years of life lost for individuals who are born between 2000 and 2019.

As these young people go through adulthood, their brains are still developing and changing and are susceptible to the addictive effects of nicotine.

"Tobacco [is] arguably the most addictive substance on the planet, which has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, in any way, shape or form," according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN. "No matter what your age, smoking is one of the single worst things you can do to your body."

Hawaii was the first state to have adopted the higher minimum smoking age while more than 100 cities across the country have already implemented the same law as well.

According to a report from Inquisitr, the U.S. government is spending around $170 billion annually just for health care costs related to tobacco use. San Francisco, on the other hand, has spent over $380 million due to tobacco-related healthcare expenditures, lost productivity and premature births, says one study from the University of California in San Francisco.

These numbers, go along with the number of lives that can be saved from the adverse effects of tobacco use, are expected to go down with the implementation of the new measure.