The number one cause of preventable disease and death in New York is tobacco use. According to a 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey done by American Cancer Society, the adult smoking rate in NY is 18% and kills 28,200 adults every year. Every year, 10,600 youth under 18 years of age become new daily smokers and approximately 73,700 NYS high school students currently smoke. Approximately, 3,000 adult non-smokers in NYS die of second-hand smoking complications every year. Over 1 million children are exposed to secondhand smoke every year. Secondhand smoke makes children more susceptible to infections such as ear and respiratory and asthma exacerbations. Thus, majority of New Yorkers live with serious smoking-related illnesses and disabilities.
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These strong laws are enforced at both state and local levels. New York State has the highest state cigarette tax in the whole country. In 2010, the state’s cigarette excise tax further increased to $4.35 per pack of 20 cigarettes or little cigars. There is an additional local tax imposed at $1.50 per pack, bringing the combined state and local tax to $5.85, the highest in the nation. New York is also the first jurisdiction in the world to impose the Cigarette Fire Safety Act which requires the manufacturers to certify that all the cigarettes they sell in NY meet a specific ignition propensity standard to reduce tobacco related
These strong laws are enforced at both state and local levels. New York State has the highest state cigarette tax in the whole country. In 2010, the state’s cigarette excise tax further increased to $4.35 per pack of 20 cigarettes or little cigars. There is an additional local tax imposed at $1.50 per pack, bringing the combined state and local tax to $5.85, the highest in the nation. New York is also the first jurisdiction in the world to impose the Cigarette Fire Safety Act which requires the manufacturers to certify that all the cigarettes they sell in NY meet a specific ignition propensity standard to reduce tobacco related