Campaigns against smoking intensify alongside a new proposed bill. The said bill aims to ban any form of discounts such as coupons to all tobacco products including cigarettes.
In an article in Poughkeepsie Journal, an affiliate of USA Today, the proposed bill wants to combat smoking and tobacco usage through removing the ability of tobacco companies to have sales or discounts. Senator David Carlucci, one of the sponsors of the bill, shared in the interview that tobacco prices kept on increasing to discourage its usage. But, companies managed to survive because of discounts and coupons which defer the purpose of the taxation and price increase.
In the full transcript of the bill on the New York State Assembly website, the said bill will prohibit the sale of tobacco products such as cigarettes and electronic cigarettes in their prescribed prices. Despite containing nicotine, nicotine gums which are used for quitting smoking won't be included in the ban. Furthermore, the said bill will also charge USD 1,000 for first-time offenders and USD 2,000 for the second, and USD 5,000 for third-time offenders.
Although the said bill by Carlucci and colleagues gained support from many anti-smoking advocates such as the American Lung Association, it also received a major outrage across tobacco sellers. Convenience stores and tobacco companies appealed that the said bill will be destructive to their businesses, but the judge sided with New York City.
This bill is actually gaining its most-awaited momentum which is not similar to its first attempt. Carlucci alongside Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer first proposed the bill last year but it didn't gain the support that they're having right now. With strong co-sponsors like Pichardo, Jaffee, Ryan, Gottfried, Dinowitz, Arroyo, Barrett, Galef, Perry, and Abinanti, it is likely that the bill might have a higher possibility to be passed this time.
