Cigarettes Will Cost At Least $13-A-Pack After NYC Law Change

NEW YORK CITY, NY – The City Council on Wednesday passed a range of bills aimed at reducing tobacco use. Mayor Bill de Blasio championed the legislation, saying his goal is to get 160,000 of the city’s 900,000 smokers to quit over the next three years.

Here’s a breakdown of the bills:

• The law known as Int.1544 raises the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes from $10.50 to $13. That will make cigs here more expensive than anywhere else in the country, city officials previously said.

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• Int.1547 will gradually reduce the number of stores that can sell tobacco products. The law caps the number of tobacco licenses in each community board at half the current level, and no new licenses can be issued until that threshold is reached. The Health Department estimated that “through attrition,” there will be a 40 percent reduction in tobacco licenses over the next decade.

• Int.1532 addresses the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes. This bill creates an e-cig license separate from tobacco licenses. After an open enrollment period, no new stores will be allowed to sell e-cigarettes.

• Int.1131-A bans pharmacies from selling tobacco products. As of April, 550 pharmacies in the city sold cigarettes, according to the Health Department.

• Int.1585 requires residential buildings with three or more units to create smoking policies and share them with current and prospective residents. The Health Department said the information will help people avoid secondhand smoke.

“When it comes to New Yorkers' health, big tobacco is public enemy #1. These companies have used the same playbook for decades, and we can no longer sit by while the next generation becomes addicted,” de Blasio said in a statement earlier this year. “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 laws continue the anti-tobacco campaign of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who banned smoking in bars and restaurants, among other steps.

The Health Department says smoking rates dropped from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.3 percent in 2015. It says the anti-tobacco legislation will help the rate decrease to 12 percent.

Lead image by jmcmichael via Flickr.