You may not have seen all the tobacco marketing in the stores, but your kids have. Tobacco marketing refers to the posters and signs inside and outside stores, as well as the colorful, well-lit displays of tobacco products behind the counter in most convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies and grocery stores.
From the 1950s to the present, different defendants, at different times and using different methods, have intentionally marketed to young people under the age of twenty-one in order to recruit ‘replacement smokers’ to ensure the economic future of the tobacco industry.
—U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler Final Opinion, United States v. Philip Morris
Local municipalities can impose additional restrictions on tobacco sales.
Examples include prohibiting sales in pharmacies and limiting the number and location of tobacco retailers. Some local governments restrict sales near schools and cap the total number of tobacco retailers.
To learn more about ending the tobacco epidemic in NYS visit the Public Health Law Center.