Historic Legislative Action Taken on E-Cigarettes

ALBANY, NY – June 20, 2017 – The New York State Assembly has passed legislation (A.516-a), Rosenthal) to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in public places where combustible cigarettes cannot be used. The bill has already been passed by the New York State Senate and an earlier version had previously been passed by the assembly. Julie Hart, New York government relations director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released the following statement:

“Adding e-cigarettes to our smoke-free law is an important, historic step forward to protect the lives and the health of all New Yorkers. Both houses of our legislature worked together to send this measure to Governor Cuomo’s desk. We thank bill sponsor Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for their leadership and for standing up to the tobacco and e-cigarette industry.

“The US Surgeon General has stated e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless.  Kids in New York are using e-cigarettes at record levels.  The assembly action and previous senate action illustrate that our legislators understand that the time is now, to protect the health of our children and our hospitality workers.   New Yorkers should not have to wait any longer to breathe clean air. This legislation will protect New Yorkers from second hand exposure to nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals found in these products. It will also help ensure that the public health benefits of smoke-free laws are not undermined.

“We look forward to Governor Cuomo signing this measure into law to help protect the health of all New Yorkers.”