Signed Into Law: Must Be 21 to Buy Tobacco Products

It’s official. 

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, anyone in Suffolk County buying tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, liquid nicotine, rolling papers, and pipes must be 21, by law.

The bill, sponsored by Legis. William R. Spencer, D-Huntington, was signed into law by County Executive Steve Bellone Monday.

Suffolk lawmakers said that the county was the first in the nation to pass “such a stringent, comprehensive resolution.”

“This issue is complicated but everyone agrees that smoking is always hazardous to your health,” Spencer said at a press conference.  

“There is no question that in the 50 years since the Surgeon General issued his first warning about tobacco we have proven, using sound and repetitive science, that the chemicals in these products are highly addictive and deadly,” he added. “Keeping tobacco products, and the unregulated e-cigarette merchandise, out of the hands of our teenagers will undoubtedly save lives.”

“Rarely do you get the opportunity to sign legislation that will literally save lives,” Bellone said.  “The public health and safety impacts of this bill are undeniable. I am excited that Suffolk County is pioneering these restrictions for the health of our young people.