Statewide bans on flavored e-cig sales, tobacco in pharmacies take effect

Two new statewide laws took effect Monday banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and the sale of tobacco in pharmacies.

News 12 Staff

May 18, 2020, 7:02 PM

Updated 1,436 days ago

Share:

Two new statewide laws took effect Monday banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and the sale of tobacco in pharmacies. 
?Pharmacies and retail stores with pharmacies inside them can no longer sell cigarettes or other tobacco products. And a second law bans the sale of all flavored vaping products, except for tobacco-flavored, in all stores statewide.

Advocates say the measures are good public health policy that will reduce access to the items, particularly preventing teens from getting their hands on tobacco at an early age.

Opponents argue that e-cigarettes in particular help them quit smoking traditional tobacco products and call this government overreach.

Pharmacies are starting to adjust to the changes, including Larchmont Pharmacy, which is removing its packs as directed by the government.
"We've always been on the fence about carrying them or not carrying them so we've always kept it off to the side, down low. This way if people want them it's there, but we're not promoting it. So, if people want it we have it but at this point, if the government is saying we can't sell it then we'll obviously have to follow the law," says Doug Kristensen, owner of Larchmont Pharmacy.

More than one-quarter of all high schoolers vape, according to the CDC.

“Big tobacco calls them their ‘replacement smokers.’ It’s the only market that they actually have to replace their consumers because eventually, they will pass,” says Meghan Dubois O’Connor, director of Pow’R Against Tobacco.

Opponents argue the ban limits the choices adult smokers’ have when trying to quit.

“One of those options is going back to cigarettes and the other is finding the products that they have been reliant on and needing on the black market,” says Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association.

Health experts warn COVID-19 could be more serious for those who smoke in addition to the negative health conditions they already face.
Anyone caught violating the e-cigarette law faces a $100 fine for each package of flavored vapor product.
undefined
 


More from News 12
2:07
Two NYPD officers arrested and facing multiple charges of sexual assault

Two NYPD officers arrested and facing multiple charges of sexual assault

1:57
Security heightened at Bronx Home Depot following customer complaints of uncomfortable encounters

Security heightened at Bronx Home Depot following customer complaints of uncomfortable encounters

2:15
Scattered showers across Wednesday; colder weather arrives Thursday

Scattered showers across Wednesday; colder weather arrives Thursday

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

1:53
Bronx bookworms take part in writing workshop for World Book Day

Bronx bookworms take part in writing workshop for World Book Day

1:57
State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

1:42
Irish consulate general joins BP Gibson for a Woodlawn walkthrough

Irish consulate general joins BP Gibson for a Woodlawn walkthrough

1:00
Fordham Road BID discusses local improvements made, offers a look toward the future

Fordham Road BID discusses local improvements made, offers a look toward the future

1:56
MTA meets with riders in Fordham to hear their concerns with current transit system

MTA meets with riders in Fordham to hear their concerns with current transit system

0:59
City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

1:30
NYPD: Shooting suspect linked to death of 24-year-old in Melrose still on the loose

NYPD: Shooting suspect linked to death of 24-year-old in Melrose still on the loose

0:30
Bronx hip-hop star MC Sha-Rock, Bronx Historical Society offering $1,000 scholarship

Bronx hip-hop star MC Sha-Rock, Bronx Historical Society offering $1,000 scholarship

1:44
'I can sleep better.' Longwood resident thanks News 12 for report on Bruckner Expressway construction noise

'I can sleep better.' Longwood resident thanks News 12 for report on Bruckner Expressway construction noise

1:20
Police: $1,000 stolen from Bronx gas station at gunpoint; suspects at large

Police: $1,000 stolen from Bronx gas station at gunpoint; suspects at large

State police: Victim of I-684 car crash identified as convicted murderer in country illegally

State police: Victim of I-684 car crash identified as convicted murderer in country illegally

2:50
Residents in Morris Heights living in ‘uninhabitable’ conditions demand fair housing

Residents in Morris Heights living in ‘uninhabitable’ conditions demand fair housing

1:34
'We really want to find him.' Wakefield family searches for missing loved one

'We really want to find him.' Wakefield family searches for missing loved one

0:45
New York Botanical Garden celebrates Earth Day

New York Botanical Garden celebrates Earth Day

1:27
Scholar Athlete: Tiarra Jackson

Scholar Athlete: Tiarra Jackson

1:49
Spring break in the Bronx: Low-cost events and activities around the borough

Spring break in the Bronx: Low-cost events and activities around the borough