De Blasio Bans Booze Ads From NYC Property

NEW YORK — Time for the Big Apple to sober up. New York City has banned advertisements for alcohol on public property such as newsstands and bus shelters, city officials said Tuesday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a Friday executive order implementing the ban, which will affect all new and renewed contracts for advertising on city-owned property. Officials say the move will help curb unhealthy drinking, which harms many New Yorkers.

"There’s no doubt that far too many New Yorkers struggle with serious substance misuse issues, among them excessive drinking," de Blasio said Tuesday. "This order banning alcohol ads from City property reaffirms our commitment to health equity and our stand to protect the well-being of all New Yorkers."

The Democratic mayor's order requires any future contract for advertising on city property to include a provision barring "advertisements, sponsorship or branding" that promotes alcohol.

While the ban took effect immediately, existing ads for alcohol can stay in place until the terms of their contracts end, the mayor's office said. The order also will not apply to places where selling alcohol is allowed, such as concert venues and restaurants, officials said.

While the city has raked in $2.7 million from alcohol ads in the 2018 fiscal year, it does not expect to lose revenue as just about 3% of all the ad space goes to booze ads, the mayor's office said.

Advertisements for alcohol have been linked to greater alcohol consumption, the mayor's office said, pointing to a 2017 study involving subway ads.

Heavier drinking can have deadly consequences — the city recorded more than 110,000 alcohol-related emergency room visits in 2016, and nearly 2,000 people died that year from "alcohol-attributable causes" such as liver disease and driving deaths, City Hall said.

"We know exposure to alcohol advertising can lead to drinking more alcohol, more often – behavior that can be harmful and even fatal," Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city health commissioner, said in a statement. "Today’s ban of alcohol ads on City property will help protect communities from the burden of harmful alcohol advertising."

De Blasio joined the MTA in sending booze ads down the drain. The transit agency's board voted in 2017 to ban advertising for beer, wine and spirits on the subways, buses and the Long Island Rail Road.