Elected officials, Council Members, advocates and parents come out in support of City\u2019s efforts to raise the minimum smoking age to 21<\/p>\n
New York, NY \u2013 Today, Speaker Christine C. Quinn, State Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal announced state legislation to raise the minimum age requirement to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 statewide. Joining in the announcement were Council Member James Gennaro, Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Annabel Palma, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Deputy Commissioner for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Andrew Goodman, Dr. Cheryl Healton, Dean of Global Public Health at NYU and Professor of Public Policy at the Wagner School of Public Service, Dr. Lance Parton of the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, members of the American Lung Association of the Northeast, members of NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City and families in support of efforts to reduce smoking in New York State.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Council and Health Commissioner Thomas Farley announced legislation that would make New York City the first major city in the country to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21. A Council hearing on the city legislation is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 1 p.m. at 250 Broadway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am grateful to State Senator Savino and Assembly Member Rosenthal for taking action at the State level to protect youth from the harmful health effects of smoking,\u201d said Speaker Quinn. \u201cThis legislation will reduce the rate of smoking among young people in New York State and spare them years of nicotine addiction and health problems. With the State as our partner, we have an even better chance of preventing another generation from tobacco-related illness and death. I thank Senator Savino and Assembly Member Rosenthal for sponsoring this legislation and for their commitment to improving the health of New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank Speaker Quinn for bringing the issue of young people and the scourge of smoking to the forefront,\u201d said Senator Savino. As a former smoker who battles with the demons of nicotine (tobacco) I am all too familiar with the effects of smoking at an early age. At the end of the day there are no redeeming qualities to smoking, and anything we can do to stop young people from starting is a step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently 90 percent of people purchasing cigarettes for minors are between the ages of 18 and 20, and by raising the legal purchase age to 21, New York State will reduce the opportunities for young people to access cigarettes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust think how many lives will be saved as a result of raising the smoking age to 21,\u201d said Assembly Member Linda B. Rosenthal, the sponsor of the bill in the New York State Assembly. \u201cBoth of my parents died of cancer and I myself smoked for 15 years. As someone who knows how hard it is to watch a loved one struggle with cancer and also how difficult it is to quit, if this measure will spare a new generation of children from that suffering, then it will be a success.” <\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough tobacco use has decreased, tobacco is still a leading cause of preventable, premature death in the United States and New York City, killing 7,000 New Yorkers a year,\u201d said Deputy Commissioner for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Andrew Goodman. \u201cWe encourage the State to consider passing this important piece of legislation, which would reduce youth smoking statewide.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThis policy will reduce the number of youth starting to smoke, save many people from a life-long addiction to tobacco products and spare many New Yorker a painful, and entirely preventable, premature death,\u201d said Dr. Cheryl Healton, Dean of Global Public Health at NYU and Professor of Public Policy at the Wagner School of Public Service.<\/p>\n
According to the New York State Department of Health, 11.9 percent of high school students still smoke in New York State. To add to that, among adults who become daily smokers, 88 percent begin smoking by the age of 18. Unless statewide reductions are reached, approximately 389,000 of New York’s children currently under the age of 18 will ultimately die of a smoking-related illness, including many types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung diseases. The State further estimates that tobacco-related illnesses currently cost New York upwards of $8 billion annually.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsidering that 85 percent of U.S. smokers begin their deadly habit before they reach age 21, this legislation would help prevent more youth from succumbing to an addiction that could cost them their lives,\u201d said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. \u201cCoupled with a well-funded tobacco control program, strong smoke free air laws, and tools to help smokers quit, Senator Savino’s and Assembly member Rosenthal\u2019s efforts, like Speaker Quinn’s efforts, will save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lance Parton, MD, FAAP, President, Chapter 3, NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, District II said, \u201cWe fully support New York\u2019s initiative to reduce the legal age for cigarette purchase from 18 to 21. Cigarettes kill people. That is a simple fact. And the younger a person is when he or she starts smoking the greater the chances they will experience the most serious health consequences. Keeping cigarettes away from young people as long as we can at least gives us chance as physicians, parents and anyone else who cares about kids, to convince young people that smoking is not good for them and should be avoided. The very public act of the City working to increase the age of people who can buy cigarettes sends the message that cigarettes are not good for anyone, but that they are especially bad for young people. And in fact that is true. But since they are legal, we support doing whatever we can to limit all young peoples\u2019 access to cigarettes. Therefore, we enthusiastically support raising the purchase age to 21.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen NYC and NYS passed the historic 100% ban on indoor smoking 12 years ago, no country in the world had yet had the courage to make that move. Since then, over 30 countries have followed suit. Will New York again become a bold global leader? Our kudos to those in the NY City Council and NYS Legislature who have the courage to lead this fight for 21 because they know it will save lives,\u201d said Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, World Lung Foundation<\/p>\n
Raising the tobacco purchase age minimum to 21 would also simplify enforcement for retailers selling tobacco products since New York State driver\u2019s licenses already clearly indicate under-21 license holders, but does not do the same for any other age.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I joined Speaker Quinn and Commissioner Farley six days ago at City Hall to announce our bill to raise the smoking age to 21, I knew we had a proposal that would become a model for legislation across this nation. But I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. That’s why I couldn’t be more pleased to stand today with Sen. Savino and Assemblymember Rosenthal as they take the fight to Albany to prevent a lifetime addiction to nicotine for millions of New Yorkers,\u201d said Council Member James F. Gennaro. \u201cTomorrow would have been my mother Audrey’s 85th birthday, who began smoking at age 18 in 1946. She quit decades later when the science as to its danger became well known, but the damage was done. Her courageous battle with lung cancer gives me the conviction to see this simple, life-saving deterrent become law in this city, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRaising the minimum age requirement to purchase tobacco products in New York City addresses the prevalence of youth smokers head-on,\u201d said Committee on Health Chair Maria del Carmen Arroyo. \u201cThis legislation will set a new standard for efforts to combat smoking, and I look forward to seeing a decrease in youth smoking rates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy pushing the legal age to buy tobacco to 21, it will deter our youth from picking up the bad habit of smoking at an earlier age. It is imperative in our effort to curb smoking and to keep our youth and young adults healthy,\u201d said Council Member Joel Rivera.<\/p>\n
\u201cI applaud Speaker Quinn for her leadership on an issue so vital to our children’s health,\u201d said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. \u201cThis legislation is a major step in limiting young people’s ability to acquire cigarettes, a product that kills more people each year than all illegal drugs combined. It will save our citizens millions in health care costs later in life and will ensure many more of our youth avoid serious respiratory issues as they age.”<\/p>\n
\u201cCigarettes and tobacco products are bad for your health at any age,\u201d said Council Member Margaret Chin. \u201cBut the younger someone starts smoking the more likely they are to continue smoking as an adult. Delaying the age when a person can legally buy cigarettes is one important tool we can use to help keep kids from developing a lifelong and extremely dangerous addiction. I want to lend my support to Senator Savino, Assembly Member Rosenthal and Speaker Quinn, and I thank them for taking up this cause in such a comprehensive manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis legislation makes substantial public health contributions by targeting would-be smokers when they\u2019re at their most impressionable and most likely to develop an addiction,\u201d said Council Member Palma. \u201cRaising the smoking age to 21 is smart policy that will keep cigarettes out of teenagers\u2019 hands and save lives. I fully support the efforts of Speaker Quinn, Senator Savino and Assembly Member Rosenthal.\u201d
\nMaximilian Kurzweil, a New York University Freshman said, \u201cWhy raise the age limit? Three words: the teenage brain.\u201d
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Elected officials, Council Members, advocates and parents come out in support of City\u2019s efforts to raise the minimum smoking age to 21<\/p>\n
New York, NY \u2013 Today, Speaker Christine C. Quinn, State Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal announced state legislation to raise the minimum age requirement to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 statewide.<\/p>\n
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