Statement from Tim Brown, Board President, BRiDGES, Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.: BRiDGES, The Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Inc. applauds Gov. Cuomo for Executive Budget Proposal to regulate and tax vapor products used in electronic cigarettes
We applaud Governor Cuomo for further prioritizing public health with his plan to tax and regulate vapor products used in electronic cigarettes—as well as include these products in the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act. This will make New York one of just a dozen states and territories that restrict vapor products used in e-cigarettes in smoke-free venues, protecting the public from nicotine exposure and the cancer-causing agents in e-cigarette emissions.
The Governor’s proposal ialigns with the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendations in his recent report, “E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults.” E-cigarette use more than doubled from 2013 to 2014 among young adults 18-24 years of age nationwide. ii And, in 2014, more than half of young adult smokers in New York State used electronic cigarettes.