Public health officials close to Governor Andrew Cuomo are assuring key staffers that the administration’s temporary six-week ban on combustible cigarettes — expected to be announced Monday morning and take effect at 11:59 pm Monday night — will include a delay to new restrictions on e-vapors. Those restrictions were announced last month and were expected to go into effect this week.
The regulation would have made it harder for smokers to access electronic alternatives to combustible cigarettes, ahead of the State’s devastating COVID-19 crisis — which is expected to take a particularly harsh toll on smokers.
The temporary ban on the sale of combustible cigarettes is intended to reduce the State’s COVID-19 death count, sources familiar with Cuomo’s thinking tell The Chronicle. In recent days, new data out of Italy suggest that the nation’s whopping Coronavirus death rate — now approaching 10% of those who test positive — is highly correlated to cigarette use. Italian men smoke cigarettes at rates that far outpace most other developed countries, and the extreme shortage of ventilators there has been the cause of death for tens of thousands of smokers.
Cuomo is also considering the suspension of sales taxes on nicotine patches and lozenges and plans to ask executives at Altria to significantly reduce prices on those products for the same six week period.
Those firms are expected to comply with the private request, and President Donald J. Trump is said to have offered the Governor assurances on a recent phone call that he would “follow up the request, if necessary.”
The Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Howard Zucker, will be rolling out a major public service announcement this week, warning smokers of the increased risk of death during the outbreak, in an attempt to implore smokers to quit immediately. Filming of that public service announcement is expected late Sunday evening.
According to Italy’s National Health Institute, smokers with COVID-19 were one-third more likely to have a serious clinical situation than non-smokers. Half of these smokers required a ventilator.
COVID-19 kills its victims by compromising the respiratory system and reducing oxygen levels in the blood. Regular cigarette use damages the airways and small air sacs in the lungs. Combustible cigarettes weaken smokers’ lungs by filling them with smoke and tar.
For many weeks, it was observed that women in Italy are better able to overcome the virus than men. Italian doctors now believe that the statistical difference is attributable to smoking-related gender norms, which are particularly pronounced in the northern regions of the country.
“When a smoker contracts COVID-19, he or she will be far more likely to suffer respiratory system failure, thereby exacerbating New York’s ventilator shortage,” Cuomo plans to say in remarks prepared for Monday. “Fortunately, medical science informs us that ex-smokers experience significant recovery in lung function and oxygen absorption as soon as they quit smoking.”
Former smokers recover 30% of their lung function just two weeks after quitting.
“Any ex-smoker can tell you how, just days after quitting, they were noticeably less out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs. Personally, I have heard hundreds of these stories,” he writes in draft remarks that were made available to The Chronicle.
Zucker discussed the issue with him privately earlier this week. The sale of combustible cigarettes causes more than 443,000 deaths annually — more deaths each year than from murder, car accidents, alcohol or drug use, suicides, and HIV combined.
It’s estimated that 81,000 people will die from COVID-19.
A ban on cigarette sales for the duration of the outbreak will save thousands of lives and will reduce the State’s shortage of ventilators, perhaps by several thousand during its peak — which is projected to hit the State 20 days from today.
If New York takes immediate action and temporarily bans combustible cigarette sales during this public health crisis, it’s thought that ex-smokers’ respiratory systems will make significant recovery at the very same time that COVID-19 cases are peaking in New York.
“This will save lives, and not just the lives of smokers,” the Governor plans to say. “Every former smoker that gets sick, but does not need a ventilator, means one more ventilator is available to keep our aging parents and grandparents alive.”
“Importantly, we must also recognize that failing to temporarily ban combustible cigarettes immediately will cause a disproportionate increase in COVID-19 fatalities in minority communities, given the higher prevalence of immuno-deficiencies in these communities,” he plans to note.
The Governor’s supporters argue that it is more important now than ever to address the public health cost of combustible cigarettes — not just to save the lives of smokers, but to save the lives of all New Yorkers by mitigating the severity of a ventilator shortage. That shortage is expected to impact high-needs populations worst, including those with immune-deficiencies, the elderly, and chronic respiratory illness.
Is the state going to hand out nicotine gum because the patches don’t work. I for one had a allergic reaction to the patches. Hives doesn’t help anyone in quitting.
I’ll drive to Pennsylvania to get mine they are cheaper. Are we banning sales of alcohol as well
Anyone do the math on this:
Tax on a pack of cigarettes in ny state 4.35
Ny state of health estimates 2 million smokers in the state
Assuming a pack of day per smoker 6 weeks.. 42 days…
That’s an estimated $365,400,000 dollars of lost revenue…
Just sayin’
Funny not too long ago, they were trying to ban vape products.
Some people just can’t make up their mind
Estimated 365,000,000 Dollar 1/3 of a billion dollar in potential tax revenue loss.
What about the Indian reservation? Will they have to stop sales also?
I had found an article saying 6 reserves are shutting down, so possibly
They already shut down shop..the reservations
Legally they can’t close that down I already asked them when I went there they will be staying open
Does this include marijuana cigarettes?
Marijuana is not legal in NYS. Even legal medical marijuana does not come in combustible form on NYS.
The E liquid flavors are not good for anyone lungs including teenagers that are home with Mom & Dad.
Good time to band both of them. END IT
There is no evidence of flavors causing harm. The ban should apply to all flavored foods if it does, because all flavors are smells that are inhaled into the lungs, except for salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. Those are the only tastes, and all the rest are actually smells. To smell you breath them through your nose and into your lungs.
There is no evidence of nicotine vaping causing harm. It is also the most effective method of quitting smoking.
You will still need ventilators for the E-cig smokers. Agree ! We need to STOP IT ALL !
NY riots began 3/29/20. Historians will debate if the riots were based on the pandemic sweeping the world at the time, or if it was the result of other factors. One of the favorite versions centers on the actions of New York State to prohibit tobacco use on that day. Regardless of the actual cause, those riots quickly exploded into the 2and American Revolution, which we now know incited a global conflagration which resulted in an estimated 1.5 billion deaths, limited nuclear exchanges, and ushered in the famed “New World Order”.
No no Mr. Cuomo, sounds like you’re starting to lean towards a martial law aspect no no Mr. Cuomo don’t be a Mr. Potato head all the time why don’t you give up your check for a few weeks and if you have impose that everyone stay home outside of a sensual your not a sensual nun by far….
Won’t this lead to people from the infected region sneaking out of state to buy cigarettes and spreading the virus to adjacent states?
Really a little too late
Don’t screw up now Governor! Don’t start playing a trump controlling people!
You have much bigger fish to fry other the smoking! It’s going too cause a riot you don’t need!
Donald Trump is literally the only person who can help us, log-off and wake up.
Bwahahahaha 😂😂😂
black market cigs here we come
Why would you push people too different states too buy! Plus NY doesn’t need that tax revenues right now??
Has there been statements from the Governor directly on this?
At the end of the day Y’all wanna live or die is the bigger question y’all getting upset bout all this and saying how we don’t need this and that there’s bigger fish to fry well what fish is bigger then trying to save a state that thinks they are invisible and if those people who travel inbetween states to buy cigarettes they should die bc your risking more then just talks heath OK IDK y’all but James y’all are some niece and easily loadable sheep so go ahead and keep blaming y’all issues on other people like trump and Como hell y’all should be looking at Congress bc there the ones who atcully run shit not the president or the govanour
why not close NYC down and control the virus instead of worring about smoking i don’t want those people coming to my state or near my family. My family lives in upstate ny.
Mine too..keep it in the city…already here in my town dont need it worsening
Same hear if I find out someone gave me that dam virus then imma take them out before the virus dose me
Okkkkk that’s a bit extra
If you ban tobacco products then you need to go ahead and ban alcohol and close liquor stores…it also weakens your immune system. One should not be deemed essential and one banned. Talk about taking away peoples rights. If people want to smoke in their homes who should say they cant. The same with drinking. People will find a way to get what they need.which will add to the spreading of this virus. Cuomo needs a reality check!!
Did he ban cigarettes today or not