To kick off the new year, New York has expanded its tobacco product marketing and event sponsorship laws to apply to e-cigarettes. In October, Governor Kathy Hochul signed this law into effect, which will begin Jan. 1.
This expanded law will specifically:
- Prohibit e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors from selling or marketing e-cigarette branded items (other than actual e-cigarettes or accessories). The prohibition explicitly excludes retailer point-of-sale promotions.
- Prohibit gifts in exchange for the purchase of e-cigarettes.
- Prohibit sponsorship of athletic, musical, artistic, social/cultural events or teams with branded e-cigarette images or logos. Sponsorships using corporation names are permitted.
Youth who use e-cigarettes are twice as likely to smoke cigarettes later in life. According to the CDC, youth vaping rates have climbed to epidemic levels. In New York state, while e-cigarettes are still the most used tobacco product among youth, use has declined from a peak of 27.4 percent in 2018 to 18.7 percent in 2022.
One in five youth still use tobacco, and the more young people see tobacco, the more likely they are to start smoking.
According to the Truth Initiative, “…manufacturers and sellers of e-cigarettes aggressively target young people…” Some examples of this are companies offering kid-friendly flavors, making frequent appearances on social media, offering scholarships, sponsoring music festivals and other events. One goal of BRiDGES, MCCASA, Inc.’s, Tobacco Prevention Programming is to reduce the impact of retail tobacco marketing on youth and community residents. Our Community Engagement and Reality Check coordinators work together, to build healthier communities through tobacco product-free living in Oneida, Madison and Herkimer Counties.
Reality Check is New York state’s youth-led movement aimed at exposing the deceptive marketing practices of the tobacco industry. Our Reality Check programming provides youth with a platform to make a difference in their community by helping to create a healthier environment. This program is free and offers 13- to 18-year olds with the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and gain experience in the areas of government, social justice, media, public speaking, event planning, health and more.
BRiDGES, Madison County Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse, Inc., is a not-for-profit prevention agency. For the past 35 years, BRiDGES has been a leader in providing advocacy, resources and services to our community, the workforce, families and individuals through the delivery of prevention and intervention programs that promote change, strengthen families and build healthy communities. BRiDGES’ services have continued to evolve over time. For more information, visit bridgescouncil.org.