The American Heart Association was pleased to see the Nassau County Legislature pass Tobacco 21 on Wednesday, May 24.
By passing this common sense, life-saving legislation the Legislature has shown they are committed to protecting the health of Nassau’s residents, specifically young adults.
This makes Nassau County the 21st municipality in New York State to pass such a measure.
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of heart disease and stroke, the nation’s number one and number five causes of mortality.
By raising the age in which retailers can sell tobacco, we can help stop teens from ever picking up their first tobacco product and save them from a lifetime of addiction.
Ninety-six percent of smokers start before the age of 21 and if a person makes it to 21 without smoking the chances of them starting drops to only 2 percent.
We want to thank the Nassau County Legislature for recognizing the importance of Tobacco 21 and congratulations on making New York a healthier state.
We look forward to the County Executive’s quick signing of this bill in the upcoming weeks.
Dr. Lorna Lewis
American Heart Association Long Island board member
Superintendent of Schools Plainview-Old Bethpage
