Prohibits gifts or other incentives for the purchase of oral nicotine pouches

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why James Skoufis says this is needed

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance with serious health risks, particularly for young users. According to the American Lung Associ- ation, a quarter of oral nicotine pouch users are under 21. Nicotine use in adolescents can disrupt brain development, impair cognitive func- tion, and increase the risk of anxiety and depression. Rewards programs exploit this vulnerability by offering incentives-such as points redeem- able for products like t-shirts, smart TVs, and grills-for purchasing e-cigarettes or oral nicotine pouches. Promoted by social media influ- encers, these programs have become a powerful tool for companies to attract and retain young customers. While New York State has already banned rewards programs for e-cigarettes, the same restrictions should be extended to oral nicotine pouches.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.