Senator Fuschillo Announces New Laws to Help Prevent Substance Abuse and Underage Smoking

             Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) announced that Governor Cuomo recently signed three laws he supported to help prevent substance abuse and underage smoking.  

            “Substance abuse and underage smoking put people’s health and safety at risk. These new laws will help prevent substance abuse and underage smoking and protect people from the harmful effects associated with them,” said Senator Fuschillo.  

            The newly signed laws would: 

*Ban the sale of hookahs, shisha, and smoking paraphernalia to minors (S4269A). This law aims to protect children from the harmful effects of smoking by preventing them from buying hookahs, shisha, and other smoking paraphernalia. Hookahs are water pipes which allow users to smoke substances such as tobacco and shisha. Users who use hookahs and other forms of smoking paraphernalia to smoke tobacco are still exposed to the same harmful chemicals as cigarettes. Businesses offering these products will only be allowed to sell them to customers who are at least 18 years old.  

* Prevent fake “bath salts” from being sold, manufactured, possessed, and distributed in New York State (S3322B). This law bans products which claim to be “bath salts” but in reality contain synthetic chemicals (MDPV and/or Medphedrone) that are used as hallucinogenic drugs. The “salts” are snorted by users to get a hallucinogenic high. However, this can cause side effects such as extreme paranoia, hypertension, chest pains, headaches, and suicidal thoughts. The law will add MDPV and Medphedrone to the Schedule I list of controlled substances, banning the use, sale, distribution and manufacturing of products that contain at least one of these compounds.   

          * Require ipecac syrup to be sold from behind the counter or in a shelf location accessible only by store employees (S3102). Normally administered to induce vomiting in poison cases, ipecac is increasingly being abused by individuals with eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Overusing and abusing ipecac can cause serious health problems and potentially death. Making ipecac less accessible will help prevent individuals with eating disorders from abusing it. 

            Senator Fuschillo voted in favor of all three measures in the Senate. 

                                                                        ####