Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Drops Cigarette Display Ban
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 27, 2013
Modified Oct 27, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
er
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 27, 2013
Modified Oct 27, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Back in August, the Bloomberg administration angered e-cigarette users and their advocates after we reported that a de facto ban of the controversial product was being worked into pending tobacco legislation. Though it may not contain the e-cigarette restrictions, the legislation appears to have been stripped of its biggest component: A ban on the display of cigarettes and tobacco products.
The Post reports that the display ban, which would have forced retailers to keep cigarettes "in cabinets, drawers, under the counter, behind a curtain or in any other concealed location," was retracted by the administration after negotiations with City Council.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, merely looking at cigarettes causes smokers and ex-smokers alike to buy them, and displays are one of the crucial means tobacco companies have to transmit information about their products (color coding works).
New York would have been the first city in the country to make retailers hide cigarettes.
The other components of the legislation would raise the smoking age to 21, create a price floor of $10.50 for a pack of cigarettes, ban cigarette coupons, and increase the penalties for those selling illegal cigarettes.
At a City Council hearing in May [PDF], numerous vendor advocates spoke disparagingly of the display ban. Jay Peltz, a spokesman for the Food Industry Alliance, called the move "unconstitutional," and said that displaying cigarettes for sale is "core commercial speech protected by the First Amendment."
Tagged
bloomberg
cigarettes
smoke em if you got em
tobacco
tobacco regulation
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .