NY cracks down on smoking, bans tobacco sales by pharmacies

New York

NEW York boosted the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes by 24 per cent to US$13 and placed a cap on the number of tobacco sellers, part of the city's biggest crackdown on smoking in more than a decade.

The anti-tobacco moves came in the form of a seven-point package of laws that mayor Bill de Blasio signed on Monday. The measures create a retail licence fee for sellers of electronic cigarettes and almost double the licensing fee for tobacco retailers to US$200.