New York brings in age restrictions on nicotine sales

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has signed legislation aimed at preventing the sale of liquid nicotine to minors and requiring that nicotine containers include child safety caps, according to a story by Audrey Matott for the Catskill Daily Mail.

New York State legislation banned the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors in 2010 but did not prohibit the sale of liquid nicotine to minors or include packaging requirements.

Under the new bill the sale of liquid nicotine is prohibited to those under the age of 21 in New York City and under the age of 18 throughout the rest of the state.

The bill requires also that nicotine containers are sold only in child-proof packaging.

In addition, businesses selling liquid nicotine will have to display specific signage indicating that the sale of this product is prohibited to minors.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers encourages people who use electronic cigarettes to keep the liquid nicotine out of the reach of children and to use care when disposing of the containers.