New York Governor Wants Tobacco Purchase Age Increased

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for a statewide increase in the minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco alternative products, including a proposal to make the minimum age 21-years-old in his executive budget proposal.

“We have made great strides to stamp out teen smoking, but new products threaten to undo this progress to the detriment of millions of Americans,” Cuomo said in a statement. “In New York, we refuse to stand idly by while unscrupulous businesses target our young people and put their very futures at risk,” he added.

In addition to the age increase, the governor is calling for several other restrictions to be placed on the sale to tobacco in the state. Specifically, Gov. Cuomo is proposing:

• banning the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes in pharmacies,
• banning the display of tobacco products and packaging, including e-cigarettes, in all retail stores that are not restricted to adults,
• clarifying the Health Department’s authority to ban the sale of certain flavored e-cigarette liquids,
• restricting available discounts provided by tobacco and electronic cigarette manufacturers and retailers, such as “buy one, get one free” offers,
• requiring that e-cigarettes be sold only through licensed retailers

“With this comprehensive proposal, we are taking aggressive action to combat this very real public health crisis and curb the use of nicotine products before they result in deadly consequences for an entire generation of New Yorkers,” said Cuomo.

New York City increased the age to purchase tobacco products in 2014, and several other cities and counties in the state have passed similar increases. Six other states have passed statewide increases in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old: Hawaii, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine.

Featured image via Gov. Cuomo’s Flickr.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.