Bloomberg Wants To Force Stores To Hide The Cigarettes They Sell


by on Mar 19th, 2013

Source: SuperFantastic via Flickr

Mayor Michael Bloomberg put forward a bill this week that would force tobacco vendors to hide the cigarette packages they sell from the sight of customers, a move that burnishes his reputation as an anti-smoking regulator.

According to a report by the New York Times, Bloomberg’s latest anti-smoking initiative, which comes fresh off the heels of his unsuccessful bid to limit the serving sizes of sugary drinks, would make New York the first city in the nation to force businesses to hide their tobacco products.

“Such displays suggest that smoking is a normal activity, and they invite young people to experiment with tobacco,” The Times reported Bloomberg saying at a news conference.

Bloomberg also put forward a second bill that would stiffen penalties for businesses that avoid tobacco taxes by smuggling in out of state cigarettes, eliminate all tobacco-related coupons, force businesses to sell cheap cigars and cigarillos in packs of four (instead of individually) and make the minimum price for all cigarettes and little cigars $10.50.

The bills do not outright ban cigarette advertising and price displays, nor do the rules apply to tobacco specialty stores that already do not permit minors without the company of their parents. They also don’t raise the taxes on cigarettes.

The state and city taxes on packs of cigarettes, set at $5.85, are the highest in the country. As we all know, Bloomberg managed to ban smoking practically everywhere; in bars and restaurants, on beaches and in parks.

Unlike Bloomberg’s war on extra-large sugary drinks, he is sending his bills to the City Council for consideration, where he has already received early support from mayoral hopeful Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

As you might suspect, opposition from convenience store advocates have already flared up.

“We think it’s patently absurd,” Mr. [James] Calvin [president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores] said of the proposed restriction. “Can you think of any other retail business that is licensed to sell legal products that is required to hide them from the view of its customers? I can’t.”

Bloomberg also got some blowback from tobacco companies, which might challenge the city with expensive lawsuits should the proposed bills go through.

David Sutton, a spokesman for Altria, parent company of Philip Morris USA, said the company supported federal legislation banning sales to minors and through self-service. But he added, “To the extent that this proposed law would ban the display of products to adult tobacco consumers, we believe it goes too far.”

We were wondering what our readers think of Bloomberg’s latest effort to curtail the visibility of smoking in the city. Do you think he is doing a good job at protecting the health of all city residents and young people? Or do you think this is just another example of our descent into a full blown nanny-state? Let us know.

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  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001 Lisanne!

    Let’s hope the City Council has more brains than the mayor.

    Since Christine Quinn has positioned herself as the mayor’s spiritual successor her elimination in the primary would end the Age of Bloomberg once and for all.

    • shb

      Bloomberg is a fantastic mayor. And Quinn secretly doesn’t like Bloomberg. She’s positioned herself near him only because it helps her chances at being mayor.

      • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001 Lisanne!

        Nonsense on both points. Quinn has had very few disagreements with Bloomberg during the entire time she has been Council Speaker. Her vision of what NYC is, and should be, is consistent with his. Whatever the origin of their joined viewpoint is, it is not certainly based on her desire to be mayor. She merely shares his warped perspective.

        • BrooklynBus

          On a rare occasion, I don’t agree with you. I hate them both, but I remember them both constantly feuding before the latest mayoral race began. They must have come to some agreement that if she stops criticizing him, which she did, he will support her run for mayor, so she stopped.

  • ShadowLock

    Right! Cause kids have no idea cig’s are sold in groceries………

    • Shb

      It’s a fact that when things are advertised more, more will be sold. The real problem is kids seeing adults especially their parents smoking.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=528447725 facebook-528447725

        So what’s the next move? Arresting those parents who smoke by their kids?

        • Sh

          Not sure why you would jump straight to arresting parents. But any parent that smokes in front if their kid is a fool. I love it when I see 2 or sometimes even 3 generations of smokers. It would cut down on smoking if it was seen as less acceptable.

        • Verochka

          NEW YORK IS BECOMING A KGB. SOON MR BLOOMBERG WILL RUN OUR DAY TO DAY LIFE,
          TELLING US WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, HOW TO DO IT, WHERE TO DO IT.

          I WAS UNDER IMPRESSION, THAT ELECTED MAYOR HAS MORE
          IMPORTANT ISSUED THEN SMOKING AND SODA DRINKING, BUT APPARENTLY NOT. NEW YORK
          PROPERTY TAX, BRIDGES AND TUNNELS TOLLS ARE OUTRAGES, BUT MAYOR IS BUSY WITH
          MORE PRESSING PROJECTS – TO HASSLE NEW YORKERS.

          ON A PERSONAL NOT – I AM NOT A SMOKER AND I DRINK PLAIN
          WATER.

  • Common Sense

    When you walk into a convenient store and you see the clerk
    pulling cigarettes out from beneath the counter you knew something was wrong. I
    have seen stores selling sample and illegal cigarettes at regular price with
    this method. If all cigarettes are hidden then how would a customer distinguish
    if any illegality is being done by the consumer. If Cigarettes need to be covered then it should still be placed in the most conspicuous location behind the counter.

  • evil clown

    This smuck has way tooooooo much time on his hands..

  • peppertree5706

    Adolph Hitler was also anti-tobacco.

    • She

      Do you like dogs? Cause Hitler did too.

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  • Veronica

    This will just make it easier for shady stores to sell loosies (mostly sold to teenagers anyway) and possibly even illegal drugs.

  • http://twitter.com/alen_agaronov Food: Digested

    The prevalence of smoking in NYC has dropped dramatically. However, a large percentage of current cigarette smokers in NYC are Asians, and this has more to do with backwards westernization (smoking is now very popular in Asia thanks to us and now it’s coming back to the U.S.). Any potential regulations should instead be replaced by education, specially across those races/ethnicity that exhibit high prevalence rates of smoking.

    In regards to flavored cigars, these are sold for much cheaper, and thus we see these more commonly among low-income minorities.

  • NoFartsHere

    NEXT THING ON BLOOMBERG’S AGENDA–IF ANYONE IS HEARD FARTING OUTDOORS IN NYC, THEY WILL IMMEDIATELY BE ARRESTED :)

    • http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/ Ned Berke

      Ruh-roh.

    • BrooklynBus

      First there will be a $150 fine. Police and elected officials will be exempt.

  • guest

    Wrong move yet again. This will only make it more alluring to teens. When something is made inaccessible they want it more. Other problem is that big tobacco does exert some control on the food industry. Get ready for Kraft products to contain even more chemicals and less actual food if this goes through. So all he’s gonna do is piss off people that handle our food and generate more curiosity in teens and kids. Genius.

  • RKramden

    Dat pic…making this ex-smoker crave.