Mayor Bill de Blasio is celebrating a new law that prevents pharmacies in New York City from selling tobacco products.
“Tobacco is public enemy number one when it comes to public health, it's the most preventable cause of death in this city. 12,000 New Yorkers die every year from tobacco-related illnesses, and this is because there are massive corporations who spend billions to hook people and keep them hooked,” Mayor de Blasio said.
He argued that it didn’t make any sense to sell cigarettes at places that are designed to make you healthy. De Blasio credited former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s work tackling smoking and applauded the City Council’s continued efforts.
“We are devoted this year to continuing our effort to be the fairest big city in America, but we also want to be the healthiest big city in America. And to do that, we need to send Big Tobacco where it belongs to the ash tray of history,” de Blasio said.
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