NYACS Statement on Proposed Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes

ALBANY, NY (06/05/2019) (readMedia)-- The following statement was issued today by Jim Calvin, President of the New York Association of Convenience Stores:

It may sound wonderful echoing down the stairwell of the Capitol, but there are fundamental flaws with the proposal to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in New York State.

- It doesn't achieve the goal. Flavored product would disappear from our stores, but it would not disappear. It would remain abundantly available to New Yorkers across state lines, from Native American retail enterprises in various regions of New York, and from a multitude of online vendors one mouse click away. Since supply and demand will continue, the choice is between having flavored vaping products purchased only in licensed stores where it can be regulated and monitored, or having it purchased in the shadows beyond the reach of any New York State restrictions.

- It doesn't get to the heart of the teen vaping problem. 95 percent of minors who vape got the product from older friends or relatives, not from stores. The most effective way to stop teen vaping is to stop teens who are vaping, by making it illegal for them to possess or use e-cigarettes, take the product away from them, and direct them to a smoking cessation class. Regrettably, the behavior we all are trying to prevent remains perfectly legal across New York State.

Headquartered in Albany, the New York Association of Convenience Stores is a statewide organization representing 8,500 neighborhood mini-marts, bodegas and convenience stores, most of which are duly registered with the State of New York to sell legal tobacco products and e-cigarettes to adult customers in accordance with federal, state and local standards.