Governor Hochul Considers Banning All Tobacco Sales in NY

Mindy Cohn

The New York governor's office is working towards a complete ban on selling all tobacco products in New York after legalized cannabis dispensaries.

Interest in the possible ban is being felt out by the State Health Department. The department commissioned a new survey from the nonprofit research organization RTI International to check on public support for the idea. The survey was distributed statewide to community leaders as the endeavor continues full steam ahead despite the governor's failure to gain support for efforts to ban flavored tobacco and menthol cigarettes. If passed, the ban on flavored tobacco alone would cost the state $133 million in lost tax revenues for the upcoming fiscal year.

Banning cigarettes could easily put many stores out of business while simply creating a minor inconvenience for those who would still purchase cigarettes through other avenues, such as by going out of state, buying online or finding a black market source.

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