Governor Cuomo signs legislation to raise smoking age to 21 statewide
ALBANY, NY (WRGB) Governor Cuomo has signed a bill into law, raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21.
The bill will take effect 120 days after becoming law.
"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 targeting young people," Governor Cuomo said. "By raising the smoking age from 18 to 21, we can stop cigarettes and e-cigarettes from getting into the hands of young people in the first place and prevent an entire generation of New Yorkers from forming costly and potentially deadly addictions."
The governor’s office says that about 28,000 adult New Yorkers die every year as a result of smoking.
From 2014 to 2018, youth use of e-cigarettes increased by 160 percent from 10.5 percent to 27.4 percent and more than half of teens falsely believe that e-cigarette use is harmless, according to information from the governor's office.
