Suzanimal
05-01-2017, 06:08 PM
NEW YORK — It already is the city that never sleeps — and if Mayor Bill de Blasio has his way it will become the city that never smokes.
De Blasio on Wednesday announced a package of proposed bills that would, among other things, raise the base price of a pack of cigarettes from $10.50 to $13, making New York home to the costliest cigarettes in the country. If the legislation passes, it would join an ongoing campaign by the city to get smokers to quit — a campaign that includes a series of jarring public service announcements that show people dealing with amputations, life with no voicebox, or the last stages of life due to cigarette damage..
De Blasio made the announcement at an anti-smoking event Wednesday.
"When it comes to New Yorkers' health, big tobacco is public enemy number one," the mayor said. "Today, we are taking a stand against these companies to not only reduce smoking and tobacco usage in New York City, but also save lives.”
The five-pronged package of proposed bills would:
• Raise the minimum price for all tobacco products.
• Reduce through attrition the number of tobacco retailers.
• Create a retail license for e-cigarettes and cap the number of sellers.
• Require all residential buildings to create a smoking policy and disclose it to current and would-be tenants.
• Ban sales at pharmacies.
The goal of the program would be to reduce the city's more than 900,000 smokers by 160,000 over the next three years. The bills will be reviewed by the City Council's Health Committee on April 27.
But the move also drew attention to another issue in the city — sales of bootleg cigarettes from other states that allow smokers in New York to bypass taxes and buy cigarettes for as little as $7 or $8 a pack. New York State leads the nation when it comes to cigarette smuggling and 55.5% of cigarettes smoked in the state in 2014 came from smuggled sources, according to a study published in January by the non-profit Tax Foundation.
"We resent the fact that the administration and the City Council are trying to attack law-abiding retailers when the real problem is on the streets," said James Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/04/19/nyc-moves-raise-cost-cigarettes-nations-highest/100672190/
De Blasio on Wednesday announced a package of proposed bills that would, among other things, raise the base price of a pack of cigarettes from $10.50 to $13, making New York home to the costliest cigarettes in the country. If the legislation passes, it would join an ongoing campaign by the city to get smokers to quit — a campaign that includes a series of jarring public service announcements that show people dealing with amputations, life with no voicebox, or the last stages of life due to cigarette damage..
De Blasio made the announcement at an anti-smoking event Wednesday.
"When it comes to New Yorkers' health, big tobacco is public enemy number one," the mayor said. "Today, we are taking a stand against these companies to not only reduce smoking and tobacco usage in New York City, but also save lives.”
The five-pronged package of proposed bills would:
• Raise the minimum price for all tobacco products.
• Reduce through attrition the number of tobacco retailers.
• Create a retail license for e-cigarettes and cap the number of sellers.
• Require all residential buildings to create a smoking policy and disclose it to current and would-be tenants.
• Ban sales at pharmacies.
The goal of the program would be to reduce the city's more than 900,000 smokers by 160,000 over the next three years. The bills will be reviewed by the City Council's Health Committee on April 27.
But the move also drew attention to another issue in the city — sales of bootleg cigarettes from other states that allow smokers in New York to bypass taxes and buy cigarettes for as little as $7 or $8 a pack. New York State leads the nation when it comes to cigarette smuggling and 55.5% of cigarettes smoked in the state in 2014 came from smuggled sources, according to a study published in January by the non-profit Tax Foundation.
"We resent the fact that the administration and the City Council are trying to attack law-abiding retailers when the real problem is on the streets," said James Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/04/19/nyc-moves-raise-cost-cigarettes-nations-highest/100672190/