Two Route 58 smoke shops were cited yesterday by the Suffolk County health department for having numerous flavored vape products for sale on their premises, according to Riverhead Town Police.
One Stop Smoke Shop, 1698 Old Country Road and Gotham Smoke, 1085 Old Country Road, were cited for violating the law that prohibits the retail sale or offering for sale of vape flavored products, according to a police press release. The products were seized from both locations, police said.
Violations carry a civil penalty of up to $100 for each individual package of flavored nicotine vapor product sold or offered for sale.
The Riverhead Police Department COPE division, in cooperation with the Riverhead Community Awareness Program and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services conducted compliance checks yesterday at 22 retail locations in Riverhead Town, according to the release. All the other locations were found to be in compliance, police said.
A section of New York State Public Health Law enacted in 2020 prohibits the sale of flavored nicotine vape products, including menthol and fruit flavored products, in the hope of curbing adolescent addiction to nicotine.
Youth vaping is “epidemic,” the New York State Department of Health says. In fact, youth and young adults are the primary users of e-cigarettes. Vaping is the most common way youth use tobacco products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine in 10 of them used flavored e-cigarettes.
In 2023, nearly 8%, or 2.1 million high school and middle school children, used e-cigarettes, the CDC said. One-quarter of them used an e-cigarette daily and 35% used an e-cigarette on at least 20 of the last 30 days.
Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical found in all tobacco products. Nearly one in two U.S. youth who have tried e-cigarettes report current use and most middle and high school students who vape say they want to quit.
Nicotine can harm the parts of an adolescent’s brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control, according to the CDC. In addition, the aerosol users inhale and exhale while vaping is not harmless water vapor. With or without nicotine, inhaling e-cigarette aerosol and exposure to the aerosol is unsafe, the health department says. Vape aerosol can contain ultrafine toxic particles that can interfere with the growth and work of the lungs and increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and asthma attacks. It can also contain harmful heavy metals such as lead, tin, and nickel and volatile organic compounds that can cause long-term health effects including cancer.
The State Department of Health provides information about the effects of vaping and resources for youth and young adults who want to quit on its website:
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/campaign/e-cigarettes
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
