Calls Grow In NY To Fully Outlaw Tobacco, As Federal Menthol Ban Looms

For years, New York City and state lawmakers have been working to make it harder and more expensive for residents to smoke. A public health group is now laying out an ambitious goal: Ending the sale of smokable tobacco products altogether. The New York State Public Health Association is among 148 organizations worldwide that signed onto a statement released Monday calling for governments to “commit to work towards phasing out sales of combustible tobacco products.”

“It's aspirational,” said Dr. Gus Birkhead, who serves as secretary of the New York State Public Health Association and worked in the state Health Department for 27 years. “It's trying to lay out a vision that I think most people who work in public health would agree with. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death and premature disease in our population, despite years of trying to combat it.”

Such policy is rare but not unheard of: Beverly Hills became the first city in the country to pass such a ban in 2019, and the law took effect this year. The letter also comes amid a heated debate over tobacco prohibition in the U.S. sparked by the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement at the end of April that it is working on regulations to bar menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The FDA has already outlawed other flavors in cigarettes and vape products, arguing that the additives are too appealing for young people. About 9 in 10 adults who smoke daily try it before age 18.

New York State includes menthol in its current restrictions on flavored vape products. But legislation in Albany to get menthol cigarettes off the shelves has stalled so far; the bill has not made it out of the Health Committee in either the Senate or Assembly this session. Birkhead said getting state lawmakers to pass the bill is a top priority for his organization. “I suspect [the FDA regulations] will get tied up in court,” he added.

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