Photo Courtesy of Kevin Coughlin/Office of the Governor
“This is a scourge on our state and our nation: If these chemicals don’t kill you, you wind up addicted to nicotine,” Gov. Cuomo said.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday launched a new campaign to ban all flavored nicotine vaping products, including menthol flavors, and to restrict vaping advertisements aimed at youth in the Enacted Budget this year.
Cuomo’s proposed legislation would authorize the State Department of Health to regulate the sale of vaping product carrier oils deemed to be a public health risk. The measure would also prohibit the online, phone, and mail-order sale of e-cigarettes; only registered retailers would be allowed to purchase e-cigarettes using those methods.
“The dangers of vaping and flavored e-cigarette products are becoming more apparent by the day, and it would be a tragedy if our successful efforts to combat the tobacco industry were reversed by allowing the vaping industry to get a whole new generation hooked on their products,” the governor said. “This is a scourge on our state and our nation: If these chemicals don’t kill you, you wind up addicted to nicotine.”
Cuomo noted that the campaign includes a new hashtag—#NoVapeNY—as well as a petition where New Yorkers can show their support for the legislation, and a new website—ny.gov/endvaping—with more information about the proposals.
Cuomo on Thursday also announced that he will visit states that have legalized cannabis programs to learn more about them to help inform his efforts to pass similar legislation in the State Budget this year.
According to the governor, the announcement builds on the regional cannabis regulation and vaping initiatives previously announced with Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts to establish a set of core principles on issues related to market regulation and empowerment; public health; public safety and enforcement; and vaping best practices.
“The conclusion is we want to coordinate our laws the best we can. In other words, you don’t want New York competing with New Jersey, you don’t want New York competing with Connecticut. You don’t want people driving to New Jersey, because they can get more in New Jersey, or a higher percentage in New Jersey, or they have a different age in New Jersey, or a lower tax rate. So, it’s regional coordination,” Cuomo said. “But then if you look at what has happened in states that have done it, about 11 states have legalized marijuana. Everybody talks about the goals—we want a social equity component, we want to make sure it’s policed. They have all these goals, but many of the programs once they’ve been implemented and they went back and looked, they didn’t meet those goals.”
That’s why he’s planning the visits to states that have legalized It, Cuomo noted.
“I want to make sure we learn from them. We have the regional coordination piece. We are the first state that has really been looking through that lens,” he added. “I now literally want to go to California, Illinois, Massachusetts, sit with them—What was your plan? How did it work out? What did you learn? What can we incorporate? So that we have the best bill and the best system when we pass it. And I want to pass it by April 1.”
