The New York City Council voted to pass two historic pieces of tobacco control legislation taking a bold step to protect the health of their community and protect youth from the dangers of tobacco use.  The two bills “Tobacco 21” and “Sensible Tobacco Enforcement” introduce new provision that, once signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg, will:

1. Raise the minimum sale age to 21, making New York City the first large city in the country to have a minimum smoking age above 19.
2. Stop tobacco industry discounting that makes tobacco affordable and appealing to kids.
3. Create a minimum price for a pack of cigarettes or cigars ($10.50 per 20-pack) that will ensure that the public health benefits of high-cost tobacco will remain in place.
4. Set minimum package sizes for certain cigars to keep cheap tobacco out of the hands of our kids.
5. Enhance tobacco tax enforcement efforts to reduce tax evasion by retailers and create a level playing field for the honest retailers who play by the rules.

Read more about these new laws here.