N. Hempstead's Ban on Sale of Tobacco to Those Under 21 Starts This Week

People under the age of 21 will be prohibited from purchasing tobacco products in the Town of North Hempstead starting Wednesday, March 1.

The North Hempstead Town Board and Supervisor voted unanimously to approve the new law in November.
The legislation, which also includes liquid nicotine and electronic cigarettes, looks to prevent youths and young adults from using tobacco and related products.

The law will not apply to villages within the Town of North Hempstead, but Supervisor Judi Bosworth hopes they will follow suit.

“I believe that this legislation will also address the growing rate of e-cigarettes use among youth, which expose users to unhealthy levels of nicotine and other harmful chemicals,” Bosworth said in a press release.

Every store that sells tobacco products in the Town of North Hempstead was mailed a letter notifying them of the start date of the new law. They were also sent a copy of the legislation and a copy of the Town Code language to post in their store. A representative from the Town’s Code Enforcement Department will also personally visit each store to provide the same information.

The legislation was inspired by the late Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs, who passed away in September.

“Judy was a passionate advocate for anti-smoking issues and she supported Tobacco 21 legislation, so this seems like a fitting tribute to her memory,” Bosworth said. “Her persistence in trying to get this law passed in Nassau County was certainly an inspiration for us here in the Town.”

The legal age to purchase tobacco and tobacco products in the rest of Nassau County is 19 years of age. North Hempstead joins New York City and the counties of Suffolk, Albany, Cattaraugus, Cortland, Chautauqua, and Schenectady in raising the legal sale age of tobacco products to 21 years old.

Michael Seilback, Vice President and Public Policy & Communications for the American Lung Association, Northeast applauded the Town of North Hempstead for passing this legislation.

“Well over 50 percent of New York’s population is now covered by laws where the legal sales age is 21 years old,” Seilback said. “It is time for our leaders in Albany to pass a statewide Tobacco 21 bill when they reconvene in January.”

Store owners in violation of this law will face penalties of “a minimum of three hundred dollars, but not to exceed one thousand dollars for a first violation, and a minimum of five hundred dollars, but not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars for each subsequent violation…”

Increasing the minimum legal consumer age for tobacco sales to 21 years will delay and potentially prevent smoking initiation, according to the Public Health and Tobacco Policy Center.

The Center for Disease Control says, nearly 90 percent of those addicted to tobacco started using it before the age of 21, making young adults and adolescents particularly susceptible to the chemically addictive effects of tobacco and related products.

What do you think of this law? Will it prevent young people from smoking? Sound off in the comments below!

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