Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s2833
Timestamp: 2020-07-16 05:09:09
Document Index: 457268120

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1399', '§260', '§  2', '§ 3', '§  4', '§  5', '§  6', '§ 7', '§  8', '§  9', '§ 10']

Increases the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 years old to 21 years old
Current Bill Status Via A558 - Signed by Governor
Jul 16, 2019 signed chap.100
3rd reading cal.343
substituted for s2833
Apr 01, 2019 substituted by a558a
Mar 26, 2019 ordered to third reading cal.343
S2833 (ACTIVE) - Details
Amd §§1399-aa, 1399-bb, 1399-cc, 1399-dd, 1399-ff, 1399-ll & 1399-mm, Pub Health L; amd §260.21, Pen L
2013-2014: S4863, A7105
2015-2016: S3456, A237
2017-2018: S3978, A273
S2833 (ACTIVE) - Summary
Increases the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 years old to 21 years old.
S2833 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER: S2833
An act to amend the public health law and the penal law, in relation to
increasing the purchasing age for tobacco products from eighteen to
This bill would amend the public health law and penal to increase the
age in which an individual can buy cigarettes from eighteen to twenty-
Section 1: Subdivision 4 of section 1399-aa of the Public Health Law is
amended by deleting the age of "eighteen" and replacing it with "twen-
ty-one".
Section 2: Paragraphs (b), (c) and (f) of subdivision 2 of section
1399-bb of the Public Health Law are amended by removing "eighteen" and
replacing it with "twenty-one".
Section 3: Subdivision 4 and 5 of section 1399-bb of the Public Health
Law is amended by removing "eighteen" and replacing it with "twenty-
Section 4: Subdivisions 2, 3 and 7 of section 1399-cc of the Public
Health Law are amended by removing "eighteen" and replacing it with
"twenty-one".
Section 5: Subdivision (d) of Section 1399-dd of the Public Health Law
is amended by removing "eighteen" and replacing it with "twenty-one".
Section 6: Subdivision 1 of Section 1399-ff of the Public Health Law is
amended by deleting the word "minor" and replacing it with "person under
twenty-one years of age".
Section 7: Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 2 of Section 1399-11 of
the Public Health Law are amended by removing "eighteen" and replacing
it with "twenty-one".
Section 8: Subdivision 1 of paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 2 of
Section 1399-mm of the Public Health Law is amended by removing "eigh-
teen" and replacing it with "twenty-one".
Section 9: Subdivision 3 of section 260.21 of the Penal Law is amended
by removing "eighteen" and replacing it with "twenty-one".
Every year in New York, fifty-three thousand youth under the age of
eighteen become regular smokers. Many of them tried their first ciga-
rette before they entered high school. Three hundred eighty nine thou-
sand youth under the age of eighteen in New York will ultimately die
prematurely from smoking. Of the many youth who become regular smokers,
half of them will eventually die from smoking related disease. They will
suffer from cancer, emphysema, heart disease, asthma, hypertension, and
other ailments. New York spends over $8 billion caring for people made
sick from smoking and New York residents' State and Federal tax burden
from smoking caused healthcare expenditures is approximately $900 per
The key to reducing the number of smokers in New York is to stop them
before they start. Raising the smoking age to twenty-one removes ciga-
rettes from high schools and eliminates a popular source of tobacco from
The best way to reduce the number of citizens who smoke is to prevent
initiation of tobacco use. A fairly short time passes between initiation
and addiction, and most interventions miss this small window of opportu-
nity. The majority of smokers sixteen years of age and younger are
intermittent users; addictive smoking requiring regular purchased begins
later, at a median age of seventeen. Raising the purchase age provides
an opportunity to expose intermittent users to strong counter-marketing,
and de-normalizing campaigns. Keeping youth tobacco free for a longer
period of time allows such interventions to reach them before they
become regular users.
Simply delaying tobacco use provides benefits. The earlier people begin
to smoke, the higher their risk for contracting lung cancer and other
health problems. Just being able to stop a small percentage of these
youth from smoking will yield incredible savings in medical bills and
Because tobacco use persists among youth and adults, New York State must
take further action. Preventing young adults from taking up smoking is
critical because, according to the Surgeon General, 88% of adult smokers
started the habit before age 18, and 90% of the people who purchase
cigarettes for minors are between the ages of 18 and 20.  By raising the
legal purchase age to twenty-one, we will help prevent a generation of
New Yorkers from becoming addicted to smoking and ultimately save thou-
sands of lives. By delaying children and young adults access to tobacco
products, we will reduce the likelihood they ever start smoking and
therefore create a healthier state.
2017-18 Session - S3978 - referred to health
2015-16 Session - S3456 - referred to health
2013-14 - Session - S.4863 - new bill - referred to health
S2833 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
AN ACT to amend the public health law and the penal law, in relation  to
increasing  the  purchasing  age for tobacco products from eighteen to
Section 1.  Subdivision 4 of section 1399-aa of the public health law,
as  added  by  chapter  799  of  the laws of 1992, is amended to read as
4. "Private club" means an organization with no more than an insignif-
icant portion of its membership comprised of people  under  the  age  of
[eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years that regularly receives dues and/or payments
from its members for the use of space, facilities and services.
§  2.  Paragraphs (b), (c) and (f) of subdivision 2 of section 1399-bb
of the public health law, as amended by chapter 13 of the laws of  2003,
(b)  conventions  and  trade  shows; provided that the distribution is
confined to designated areas generally accessible only to  persons  over
the age of [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE;
(c)  events  sponsored  by  tobacco  or herbal cigarette manufacturers
provided that the distribution is confined to designated areas generally
accessible only to persons over the age of [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE;
(f) factories as defined  in  subdivision  nine  of  section  thirteen
hundred  ninety-nine-aa of this article and construction sites; provided
that the distribution is confined to designated areas generally accessi-
ble only to persons over the age of [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE.
§ 3. Subdivisions 4 and 5 of section 1399-bb of the public health law,
as amended by chapter 4 of the laws of 2018,  are  amended  to  read  as
LBD00518-02-9
S. 2833                             2
4.  No person engaged in the business of selling or otherwise distrib-
uting electronic cigarettes for commercial purposes,  or  any  agent  or
employee  of  such person, shall knowingly, in furtherance of such busi-
ness, distribute without charge any electronic cigarettes to  any  indi-
vidual under [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age.
5.  The distribution of tobacco products or herbal cigarettes pursuant
electronic cigarettes shall be made only to  an  individual  who  demon-
that the individual is at least [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age. Such
identification  need  not  be  required of any individual who reasonably
appears to be at least twenty-five years of age; provided, however, that
ing  the sale of a tobacco product, electronic cigarette or herbal ciga-
rette or the distribution without charge of electronic cigarettes to  an
§  4.  Subdivisions 2, 3 and 7 of section 1399-cc of the public health
law, as amended by chapter 542 of the laws of 2014, are amended to  read
2.  Any person operating a place of business wherein tobacco products,
herbal cigarettes, liquid nicotine, shisha or electronic cigarettes, are
sold or offered for sale  is  prohibited  from  selling  such  products,
herbal  cigarettes,  liquid  nicotine,  shisha, electronic cigarettes or
smoking paraphernalia to individuals under [eighteen]  TWENTY-ONE  years
of  age,  and  shall post in a conspicuous place a sign upon which there
shall be imprinted the following statement, "SALE OF CIGARETTES, CIGARS,
CHEWING TOBACCO, POWDERED TOBACCO, SHISHA  OR  OTHER  TOBACCO  PRODUCTS,
HERBAL  CIGARETTES,  LIQUID  NICOTINE,  ELECTRONIC  CIGARETTES,  ROLLING
PAPERS OR SMOKING PARAPHERNALIA, TO PERSONS UNDER [EIGHTEEN]  TWENTY-ONE
YEARS  OF  AGE  IS  PROHIBITED  BY LAW." Such sign shall be printed on a
white card in red letters at least one-half inch in height.
3. Sale of  tobacco  products,  herbal  cigarettes,  liquid  nicotine,
shisha  or electronic cigarettes in such places, other than by a vending
machine, shall be made only to an individual who  demonstrates,  through
(a)  a valid driver's license or non-driver's identification card issued
by the commissioner of  motor  vehicles,  the  federal  government,  any
United  States  territory,  commonwealth  or possession, the District of
Columbia, a state government within the United States  or  a  provincial
government  of the dominion of Canada, or (b) a valid passport issued by
the United States government or any other country, or (c) an identifica-
tion card issued by the armed forces of the  United  States,  indicating
ing  the  sale of a tobacco product, herbal cigarettes, liquid nicotine,
shisha or electronic cigarettes to an individual under [eighteen]  TWEN-
TY-ONE years of age.
S. 2833                             3
is restricted to persons [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age or older.
§  5.  Subdivision (d) of section 1399-dd of the public health law, as
amended by chapter 448 of the laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
(d) in a place of employment which has an insignificant portion of its
regular  workforce comprised of people under the age of [eighteen] TWEN-
TY-ONE years and only in such locations that are not accessible  to  the
general  public;  provided,  however, that in such locations the vending
machine is located in plain view and under the  direct  supervision  and
control of the person in charge of the location or his or her designated
§  6.  Subdivision  1  of section 1399-ff of the public health law, as
1.  Where  a  civil  penalty  for  a  particular incident has not been
imposed or an enforcement action regarding an alleged  violation  for  a
particular  incident is not pending under section thirteen hundred nine-
ty-nine-ee of this article, a parent or guardian  of  a  [minor]  PERSON
UNDER  TWENTY-ONE  YEARS  OF  AGE to whom tobacco products, herbal ciga-
rettes or electronic cigarettes are sold or distributed in violation  of
this  article  may  submit a complaint to an enforcement officer setting
forth the name and address of the alleged  violator,  the  date  of  the
alleged  violation,  the  name  and  address  of the complainant and the
[minor] PERSON UNDER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF  AGE,  and  a  brief  statement
describing  the  alleged violation. The enforcement officer shall notify
the alleged violator by certified or  registered  mail,  return  receipt
requested, that a complaint has been submitted, and shall set a date, at
least  fifteen  days  after the mailing of such notice, for a hearing on
the complaint. Such notice shall contain the  information  submitted  by
§ 7. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 2 of section 1399-ll of the
public  health  law,  as  added  by chapter 518 of the laws of 2000, are
(b) Any person operating a tobacco business wherein bidis is  sold  or
offered  for  sale  is prohibited from selling such bidis to individuals
under [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age, and shall post in a  conspicu-
ous  place  a  sign  upon  which  there shall be imprinted the following
statement, "SALE OF BIDIS TO PERSONS UNDER [EIGHTEEN]  TWENTY-ONE  YEARS
OF  AGE  IS  PROHIBITED BY LAW."   Such sign shall be printed on a white
card in red letters at least one-half inch in height.
(c) Sales of bidis by a tobacco business shall  be  made  only  to  an
individual  who demonstrates, through a driver's license or other photo-
graphic identification card issued by a government entity or educational
institution indicating that the individual is at least [eighteen]  TWEN-
TY-ONE  years  of  age.  Such identification need not be required of any
individual who reasonably appears to be at least  twenty-five  years  of
age,  provided,  however,  that  such  appearance shall not constitute a
defense in any proceeding alleging the sale of a tobacco product  to  an
individual under [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age.
§  8.  Subdivision  1  and  paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 2 of
section 1399-mm of the public health law, as added by chapter 549 of the
S. 2833                             4
1. No person shall knowingly sell or provide gutka to any other person
under [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years of age.  No  other  provision  of  law
authorizing  the sale of tobacco products, other than subdivision two of
this section, shall authorize  the  sale  of  gutka.    Any  person  who
violates  the provisions of this subdivision shall be subject to a civil
penalty of not more than five hundred dollars.
(b) Any person operating a tobacco business wherein gutka is  sold  or
offered  for  sale  is prohibited from selling such gutka to individuals
statement, "SALE OF GUTKA TO PERSONS UNDER [EIGHTEEN]  TWENTY-ONE  YEARS
(c) Sales of gutka by a tobacco business shall  be  made  only  to  an
§  9.  Subdivision  3  of section 260.21 of the penal law, as added by
chapter 362 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
3. He OR SHE sells or causes to be sold tobacco in any form to a child
less than [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE years old.
§ 10. This act shall take effect on  the  one  hundred  twentieth  day