Legislation & Policies

Tobacco products have been aggressively marketed and sold in the United States for more than seventy years.  In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General released his first report directly linking tobacco use to disease and death.  Since then, as evidence has continued to grow linking smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke with negative health outcomes (see the recent U.S. Surgeon General's REport from December 2010 highlighting the harmful effects of a single cigarette and the immediate impact of secondhand smoke on human organ function), government at the local, state, and federal levels have begun to intervene.

In addition to cessation resources and hard-hitting media campaigns, legislation, policies, and increased cigarette taxes have helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers quit smoking and reduced exposure to secondhand smoke.  For example, since the implementation of the 2002 Clean Indoor Air Act that made New York City bars and restaurants smoke-free, 450,000 New Yorkers have successfully quit smoking, saving thousands of lives and significantly reducing the number of tobacco-related preventable diseases.

As a result of aggressive tobacco company advertising and the addictiveness of nicotine in cigarettes, 15.8% of New Yorkers still smoke.  Working to continue to help New Yorkers quit smoking, New York City and State elected officials rely on two main approaches to continue to lower smoking rates:

• Taxation - Raising the price of cigarettes lowers smoking rates and smoking initiation.  There is a proven connection between New York City's lower smoking rates and its price per pack of cigarettes, which is one of the highest in the United States.

• Legislation - One of the most effective ways to decrease tobacco use is through policy change at the local, state, and national levels.  Changing the social norms surrounding tobacco use - for example by making bars and restaurants or parks and beaches smoke-free - is an effective way to protect non-smokers, help smokers quit, and keep our youth from becoming the next generation of addicted smokers.

Please visit our pages on existing, pending, and voluntary legislation and policies in New York City and New York State for more information.