In 2019, New York continues to be a battleground for the tobacco industry. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has revealed that his 2019 executive budget will include legislation that will, in his opinion, help curb tobacco use among the state’s young population.
On Jan. 12, 2019, Cuomo revealed that he wants to raise the state’s minimum age to purchase tobacco and electronic cigarette products from 18 to 21. His legislation would also ban the sale of tobacco and electronic cigarette products in pharmacies, introduce restrictions for where those products can be displayed in retail stores that are not adult-only and would also require that only licensed retailers be able to sell e-cigarette products. Raising the minimum age to purchase these products from 18 to 21 is nothing new and is becoming a new trend on the local and state levels as governments attempt to tackle the growing popularity of vape and e-cigarette products and continue to minimize the use of traditional tobacco products.
