Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed a series of bills to help reduce the number of smokers in New York City by 160,000 by 2020 – including upping a pack of cigarettes to $13 from $10.50.
The measures come some 15 years after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002 banned smoking in all bars and restaurants – a somewhat controversial move at the time, but has since been duplicated in cities both around the country and the world.
Since Bloomberg’s smoking ban, smoking rates in New York City have declined from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.3 percent in 2015, but the city still has more than 900,000 smokers.
The seven bills include: (1) raising the minimum prices for all tobacco products, including cigarettes, and imposing a new 10 percent local tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes; (2) capping and reducing through attrition the number of tobacco retailers citywide; (3) creating a retail license for e-cigarettes and capping the number of e-cigarette retailers; (4) increasing the fee for a cigarette retail dealer license; (5) requiring all residential buildings to create a smoking policy and disclosing it to both current and prospective tenants; (6) prohibiting smoking and the use of e-cigarettes in common areas in multiple dwellings with fewer than ten units; and (7) banning the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies.
“Even though tobacco is a leading cause of premature death across the country, Big Tobacco will stop at nothing to hook people on these deadly products,” said de Blasio. “We are sending a loud and clear message that we will not let their greed kill any more New Yorkers without a fight. These new laws will not only help reduce the number of smokers in our City, but also save lives.”
City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett, a former smoker, said she knows how hard it is to quit smoking, and that’s why the new measures are so important because it will help New Yorkers that smoke to quit, and other from ever starting.
“If you are a smoker, the single most important thing you can do for your health is to stop smoking,” said Bassett said.
Tobacco continues to be a leading contributor to preventable, premature death in New York City, killing an estimated 12,000 people annually. Despite an overall decline on smoking rates among young people, youth have increasingly used a range of other tobacco products. Youth cigar, cigarillo, little cigar, smokeless, and hookah use, together, exceed cigarette use. Nearly nine out of 10 smokers first tried smoking before age 18. In the city, adolescent use of e-cigarettes is more than double the current smoking rate, 15.9 percent compared with 5.8 percent.
“Today, NYC is making huge strides against the #1 cause of preventable death in New York City: smoking,” said Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington). “Strong evidence shows that just being exposed to nearby tobacco retailers make kids twice as likely to smoke. That’s why I’m proud to sponsor Intro 1131 which will ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products in pharmacies and Intro 1547 which will reduce the number of cigarette retailers citywide by half, while ensuring NYC’s existing bodegas and small businesses operating in compliance with the law can keep their doors open.”
Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Park, Flatbush, Ditmas Park) said, “I want to commend the Mayor and my colleagues in the City Council for the passing of this comprehensive tobacco legislation. We must do more to protect the health and wellbeing of our constituents and their families, and enacting laws that safeguard against the harmful effects of tobacco is an essential part of that process. It is my hope that we will continue to work together to make New York a healthier city for years to come.”
Public Advocate Letitia James said, “Smoking kills. It is a dangerous addiction and we must do everything in our power to help New Yorkers quit smoking and stop New Yorkers from starting in the first place. These laws will help improve the health of everyone in our City.”
“We need to do all that we can to change habits and save lives,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “Tobacco and smoking are leading contributors to many illnesses particularly lung cancer. These legislative proposals will target the heart of tobacco sales and usage, and will ensure that we can raise healthy children and families in Brooklyn.”
