ALBANY, N.Y. — The legal age to purchase tobacco products in the state of New York is now officially 21, the Daily Gazette reported.
The law, which raises the legal age to purchase tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, was approved in July and became effective Nov. 13. Penalties for illegal sales to minors include fines and the loss of a retailer’s licenses to sell state lottery tickets and tobacco products, the news agency said.
Schenectady County preceded the state by raising the minimum purchase age to 21 in 2017, but most counties had continued with age 18 as the limit. The new law makes that public policy statewide.
“By raising the smoking age from 18 to 21, we can stop cigarettes and e-cigarettes from getting into the hands of young people in the first place and prevent an entire generation of New Yorkers from forming costly and potentially deadly addictions,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in July.
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