Advocacy

The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City works in four main advocacy areas:

Smoke-Free Housing

The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City works with landlords, property owners, realtors, and tenants to establish voluntary smoke-free housing policies in multi-unit dwellings. Our primary goals are to increase awareness of the deadly and costly impact of secondhand smoke; protect families from secondhand smoke where they live; and inform property owners and landlords about their right to adopt voluntary smoke-free policies. Learn more here.

Tobacco Retail & Marketing

The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City is committed to reducing youth exposure to tobacco retailers and in-store tobacco marketing by working with our community partners to educate New Yorkers on aggressive tobacco marketing and sales in retail stores and the effect that it has on our youth.  Retail stores – pharmacies, bodegas, convenient stores – are one of the last places in New York City where the tobacco industry can target our youth. Learn more here.

Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces

The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City works in all five boroughs to advocate for smoke-free outdoor spaces.  Smoke-free outdoor policies will help protect the health of all New Yorkers and the environment. Research shows that smoke-free outdoor air policies promote a cleaner, safer environment for children and adults, while also helping to reduce the environmental and maintenance cost of cigarette butt litter. Learn more here.

Tobacco Pricing

The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City supports increasing tobacco taxes to reduce the number of new smokers in New York City and help existing smokers to quit.  Tobacco tax increases is one of the primary reasons why the smoking rate in New York City dropped over 20 percent since 2002.  While we commend New York City for increasing the price of cigarettes to over $11 in July 2011, further tax increases can help further reduce smoking rates and smoking-related healthcare costs. Learn more here.