(Springfield, IL) — There’s a push to make it tougher for teens in the state to start smoking. State Rep. Camille Lilly yesterday detailed her proposal to raise the smoking age to 21. Lilly says most smokers start before age 26, so the later the smoking age the better. Five states and 300 cities across the country have already raised their smoking ages but attempts to make the change in Illinois have failed in the past.