New York cracks down on smoking with big increase in minimum prices
New York — New York boosted the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes by 24% to $13 and placed a cap on the number of tobacco sellers, part of the city’s biggest crackdown on smoking in more than a decade. The moves came in the form of a seven-point package of laws that mayor Bill de Blasio signed on Monday. The measures create a retail licence fee for sellers of electronic cigarettes and almost double the licensing fee for tobacco retailers to $200. The city is also requiring all apartment buildings of three or more units to create explicit smoking policies, while banning smoking in all common areas. Pharmacies will be prohibited from selling tobacco as their licences begin to expire in 2018. The move will affect drug stores like Walgreens and Duane Reade that still sell cigarettes. The measures represent the city’s most aggressive public health assault on tobacco use since former mayor Michael Bloomberg instituted a series of smoking bans in workplaces — including bars, restaurant...
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