KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials say a campaign to prevent teen smoking in Kansas City is progressing faster than expected.

A local campaign called Tobacco 21 began in October, and nearly half the residents in the metro area now must be 21 to buy tobacco products.

Organizers say the progress is due to a partnership between public health advocates and the business community.

Implementing ordinances to increase the minimum age of sale and purchase of tobacco products is being discussed in the Missouri cities of Liberty and Lee’s Summit, as well as Tonganoxie, Kansas.

A report from the Institute of Medicine says if all states raised the legal age for tobacco purchase to 21, there would be a 12 percent drop in teen and young adult smokers.