Latimer Vetoes Westchester County Flavored Tobacco Ban

WHITE PLAINS, NY — The recently passed bill that would have banned the retail sale and distribution of flavored tobacco products in Westchester County was vetoed by Executive George Latimer.

The county executive said the bill had strong support and was also vigorously opposed by a number of local Black groups, Middle Eastern and Arab American leaders and union representatives.

“A more thorough review of the objections is warranted,” Latimer said.

The Westchester Board of Legislators could override the veto if they could get two-thirds of the members to go along. The bill passed 11-6.

Chairwoman Catherine Borgia did not say whether the board would seek to override Latimer's veto.

In a statement, she said: “While I, and most of my colleagues, are disappointed with the County Executive’s veto of the law banning flavored tobacco passed last week by the Board of Legislators, I am proud of the hard work of this body and public health advocates for pushing the conversation forward, and advancing the legislation further than before."

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids issued a statement after the veto was announced, saying the organization was “deeply disappointed” by Latimer’s decision.

“With this veto, County Executive Latimer missed a tremendous opportunity to take an important step towards protecting the health and safety of young people and communities of color in New York,” said Kevin O’Flaherty, director of advocacy for the northeast region.

“For too long, the tobacco industry has relentlessly targeted Black communities — particularly Black youth — with flavored tobacco products,” he said. “They’ve unleashed aggressive marketing campaigns and deceptive advertising, and made menthol cigarettes widely available and extremely cheap.”

O’Flaherty said the industry has pushed out kid-friendly flavors that mimic desserts or candies to get kids hooked on nicotine, enticing them to a lifelong struggle with addiction.

“We strongly urge the Board to override the veto and push back against the tobacco industry’s decades-long campaign to get kids addicted to tobacco,” he said.

The New York Association of Convenience Stores praised Latimer for vetoing the bill.

Kent Sopris, president of the association, said prohibition never works as public policy and this bill would have jeopardized small business owners with providing any substantive health benefit.

“Westchester County currently has the lowest smoking rate in the entire state,” he said. “By keeping the focus on education and enforcement the county can continue to build on this success.”

Dr. Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, said she too was deeply disappointed in Latimer’s decision to veto the bill.

“Latimer — instead of siding with public health — aligned himself with the tobacco industry, using their own misleading talking points to exploit very real concerns about over-policing in our community,” she said.