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Relates to candy and other food products packaged as tobacco products or drug paraphernalia
In Assembly Committee · Consumer Affairs And Protection · Sponsor Joseph Lentol
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to candy and food products packaged as tobacco products or drug paraphernalia
Purpose or general idea of bill
To eliminate the sale of candy and other food products that may be attractive to or marketed to children, but which are packaged to resemble tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, snuff, or chewing tobacco or various forms of drug paraphernalia. A violation of this offense shall constitute a "violation" as defined in the penal law.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Adds General Business Law section 399-i to prohibit the sale of candy or other food products in New York that are packaged to lock like any type of tobacco product or drug paraphernalia. A violation of this section of law shall constitute a violation and be punishable by a fine of no more than $250.00 or a jail term not to exceed 15 days.
Justification
There are a number of candy items and other food products, such as beef jerky, which are being marketed to and sold to minors that resemble tobacco products such as cigarettes, snuff, and chewing tobacco. The sale of these food products to children could give our impressionable young the impression and cache that they are consuming "adult" products such as tobacco products or controlled Substances. This familiarity among children and our children's peers may in fact make the choice to not smoke or chew tobacco or to take drugs a more difficult one. These products geared toward children help to promote the concept that the use of tobacco or drugs is fun, acceptable, and "adult-like". The war against addiction to both tobacco and drugs is difficult enough without youths becoming familiar facsimiles of these products at a very early age.
Prior legislative history
This bill is similar to A.3768 of 2009, but expands the scope of products prohibited to include all other food products whose sales are directed to children.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of November after it shall become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.