Letters

Yorktown Should Be Applauded Action on Tobacco, Vaping Product Sales

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Kudos to the Yorktown Town Board for adopting a six-month moratorium on shops selling tobacco or vaping products.

I could not agree more with Deputy Supervisor Ed Lachterman when he expressed that a town inundated with tobacco shops “is not the Yorktown I want to see.” Utilizing the authority granted by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention Act, town boards can regulate the time, place and manner of tobacco advertising, enabling them to enact licensing or zoning laws that impact the density, location or type of tobacco retailers in town. Such measures have been effectively employed in numerous locations across the state, demonstrating a decrease in youth smoking and vaping initiation rates and instances of underage tobacco product sales.

As a former resident deeply connected to Yorktown, I commend the Town Board for their proactive approach in fostering a healthier and more visually appealing community.

Maureen Kenney
Division Director, Health Promotions
American Lung Association

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