New York To Raise Age Of Buying Tobacco Products To 21

An effort by the state to stop cigarettes and e-cigarettes from getting into the hands of young people will go into effect in two months. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Tuesday to raise the minimum sales age for tobacco and electronic cigarette products from 18 to 21.

"New York is taking aggressive action to stamp out smoking among teens and children, but tobacco and e-cigarette use still persists thanks to irresponsible corporate marketing campaigns," Cuomo said in a prepared statement.

Before Cuomo signed the legislation there were a few counties, including Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester, that had already raised the minimum age to 21, according the the state Department of Health.

About 28,000 adult New Yorkers die every year as a result of smoking. Tobacco use continues to be the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the state, according to health officials.

An increasing number of underage youth are using both traditional cigarettes and vaping devices, the state said. From 2014 to 2018, use by young people of e-cigarettes increased by 160 percent from 10.5 percent to 27.4 percent. More than half of teens incorrectly believe that e-cigarette use is harmless.

According to the Surgeon General, 88 percent of adult smokers started using tobacco before they were 18, and 90 percent of the people who buy cigarettes for minors are between the ages of 18 and 20.

State officials believe that, by raising the legal purchase age to 21, the new legislation will help prevent underage children from obtaining tobacco products from their friends, thereby reducing the likelihood that young adults ever start smoking and become addicted.

Sen. David Carlucci, a Democrat from Rockland County, was one of the co-sponsors of the Senate version of the bill.

After Cuomo signed the bill into law, he issued a statement that said he was proud of having voted in support of raising the age to 21.

"We know tobacco products cause cancer and cigarette smoking leads to nearly one in five deaths each year," Carlucci said. "We cannot let our children become statistics."

Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro said that he welcomed the statewide legislation that would raise the age for his county as well.

“There has been a disturbing increase of e-cigarettes among young people, and with studies showing that e-cigarette use actually predicts future traditional cigarette use, this legislation is necessary and important so we don’t see a reversal in all of the progress made in reducing tobacco usage,” he said.