{"id":34924,"date":"2024-11-07T18:09:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T18:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/?p=34924"},"modified":"2024-11-07T18:10:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T18:10:07","slug":"mayor-adams-announces-lawsuit-against-major-online-distributor-for-illegally-selling-disposable-flavored-e-cigarettes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/archives\/34924","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Adams announces lawsuit against major online distributor for illegally selling disposable flavored e-cigarettes"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York city Mayor Eric Adams and New York city Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant announced that the city of New York has filed a federal lawsuit against a major distributor of disposable flavored e-cigarettes, popularly known as \u201cvapes\u201d \u2014 the most popular devices for nicotine use among middle and high school youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defendant \u2014 Price Point Distributors, Inc., based in Farmingdale, Long Island \u2014 is accused of distributing e-cigarettes with flavors such as snow cone, strawberry shortcake, and Hawaii Punch to retail stores and directly to consumers in New York City and around the country through online sales, violating nearly every applicable federal, New York state, and New York City law governing the sale of such products.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s lawsuit seeks to block Price Point Distributors, Inc., from further sales of these illegal items, seeks both monetary damages and fines, and marks the latest effort by the Adams administration to curb illegal sales of flavored e-cigarettes, which are appealing and addictive, especially to teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of protecting public safety means protecting the health of New Yorkers, including our most vulnerable \u2014 our children, who are more susceptible to nicotine addiction, especially when products are flavored to make the taste less harsh,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting young New Yorkers means stubbing out illegal vape and e-cigarette sales that target them. Today\u2019s lawsuit alleges that Price Point Distributors knew it was breaking laws by selling flavored cigarettes to New Yorkers, and even took measures to conceal these illegal sales from federal, state, and local authorities. This lawsuit, as well as our continued efforts to shut down illegal smoke shops, go hand-in-hand with the work our administration is\u00a0doing to bring down overall crime in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It is illegal to sell flavored e-cigarettes in New York City,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0City Hall Chief Counsel Allison Stoddart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this lawsuit, the Adams administration is continuing to hold companies\u00a0accountable when they put profits over the health of New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs alleged in the city\u2019s complaint, defendants are abusing our laws and undermining public health,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy selling disposable vapes with kid-friendly flavors \u2014 such as\u00a0cotton candy, raspberry watermelon, and cherry cola \u2014\u00a0defendants are putting profit before the wellbeing of young people. Flouting the law and fueling an epidemic of nicotine addiction among middle and high school students will not be tolerated by the City of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting the health of our young people, and of all New Yorkers, is among our highest priorities,\u201d said\u00a0Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s action helps us do that by cracking down on illegal distributors of vaping products \u2014 products we know often make their way into the hands of our young people. Whether through regulatory, legal, or other action, we will continue to fight every day for the health and wellbeing of every person that calls New York City home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese illegal sales signify an indifference to New Yorkers\u2019 laws and health, especially the health of teens, who are particularly susceptible to the allure of flavored e-cigarettes,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Interim Commissioner Michelle Morse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to prioritizing young people\u2019s health and safety over unfettered corporate interests. Preventing the sale of flavored vapes helps protect youth from nicotine dependence and other adverse health outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVaping is incredibly dangerous and can lead to a lifetime of nicotine addiction,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Public\u00a0Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt New York City Public Schools, we are committed to combating this trend head-on through targeted interventions, initiatives like CATCH My Breath NYC, and a dedicated cohort of Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists. I want to thank Mayor Adams for taking action on this critical issue, and I look forward to continuing to partner with our parents and school communities to keep our kids safe, healthy, and free from the dangers of vaping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sheriff\u2019s Office is proud to stand with Mayor Adams in the continuous effort to remove these dangerous products from the hands of our youth,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dangers that these flavored vape products pose for our youth are serious. The flavors, colors, and common icons are targeting our youth and create an addictive habit that may cause lasting health concerns. Our officers have been removing these illegal products from the shelves since they were first banned in New York City, and we cannot allow manufacturers to continue bringing them back into our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFlavored e-cigarettes are not only illegal in New York City, they pose a great danger to our children\u2019s health and wellbeing,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga.<\/p>\n

\u201cDCWP works hard to prevent these devices from being sold at retailers around the city, and we\u2019re grateful to our partners at the Law Department and Mayor Adams for going after the source of these dangerous products.\u201d<\/p>\n

In July of 2023, the administration announced that the City of New York had\u00a0filed a lawsuit against several distributors of illegal flavored vapes,\u00a0including the nation\u2019s largest vape distributor.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, the administration announced a second lawsuit against 11 local wholesalers,\u00a0which has now been transferred to federal court.\u00a0Both actions target distributors for their part in the illegal sale of flavored disposable e-cigarettes, the most popular vaping devices among middle school and high school youth. Both cases are proceeding.<\/p>\n

In addition to taking legal action, the Adams administration has been laser focused on enforcement against illegal operators who threaten communities and children.<\/p>\n

After Mayor Adams successfully advocated for and won legal authority to seal illegal cannabis shops, the administration launched \u201c operation padlock to protect\u201d which, since launching in May 2024, has already sealed over 1,200 shops and taken over $84 million in illegal products off city streets.<\/p>\n

Additionally, just last month, Mayor Adams shipped 1,200 pounds of illegal vape products out of New York city\u00a0to be destroyed in an eco-friendly facility.<\/p>\n

Most e-cigarettes provide nicotine levels far exceeding that of conventional cigarettes. Further, federal health authorities, such as the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), say fruit, cola, and dessert-flavored e-cigarettes tempt kids to vape high levels of nicotine.<\/p>\n

Cartoon character packaging on e-cigarettes and devices that look like toys or include mini-games target youth and have contributed to the epidemic of nicotine addiction among young students.<\/p>\n

As cited in today\u2019s lawsuit, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) showing that about one in 10 U.S. middle and high school students \u2014 or more than 2.5 million youth \u2014 had used e-cigarettes in a 30-day sample period. Specifically, 14.1 percent (2.14 million) of high school students and 3.3 percent (380,000) of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use.<\/p>\n

The 2023 NYTS\u00a0showed e-cigarettes remained the most commonly used tobacco product among both high school and middle school students for the 10th year in a row. Flavored e-cigarettes continue to be the most popular products according to the survey.<\/p>\n

The dangers of e-cigarettes to youth led the FDA, in 2009, to ban flavored vape products. Today\u2019s lawsuit alleges that Price Point Distributors, Inc., violated the prevent all cigarettes trafficking Act,\u00a0a federal law that bars the sale of any e-cigarettes except in face-to-face transactions with some exceptions.<\/p>\n

Price Point Distributors, Inc., is also accused of violating New York Public Health Law 1399-II (1-a)\u00a0, which makes it illegal for anyone to deliver e-cigarettes to anyone other than a state-licensed vapor business, as well as New York city administrative code 17-715, which makes it illegal to sell, offer for sale, or possess for sale flavored e-cigarettes to New York City residents.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the company is accused of violating New York city\u2019s public nuisance laws\u00a0because its alleged sale and offering to sell flavored e-cigarettes injures the health and safety of people within New York City and interferes with the public right to health and safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York city Mayor Eric Adams and New York city Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant announced that the city of New York has filed a federal lawsuit against a major distributor of disposable flavored e-cigarettes, popularly known as \u201cvapes\u201d \u2014 the most popular devices for nicotine use among middle and high school youth. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1469,31,1378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","category-news","category-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34924"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34925,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34924\/revisions\/34925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}