It Could Soon Be Illegal for Gen Z to Partake in One Centuries-Old Habit

The war against smoking in the United States has been going on for more than 50 years.

It was in 1964 when Surgeon General Luther Terry dropped a bombshell report on smoking and health, which concluded that "cigarette smoking is related to lung cancer in men" and that "the risk of developing lung cancer increases with the duration of smoking and number of cigarettes smoked per day."

The tobacco industry fought like hell to change the narrative, but Terry's report of more than 7,000 documents rocked the industry to its core and shifted the way Americans thought about smoking. Congress soon altered its public health policy, including a 1971 ban on advertising cigarettes on TV and radio that still exists today.

Subtle warning labels on cigarettes and tobacco products continue to warn consumers about the dangers of smoking to this day. It's nowhere near the warning labels in tobacco products in Europe and the rest of the world, many of which show photos of nearly-dying patients in hospital beds, or big block letters that simply state "Smoking Kills."

But now one state is ramping up its efforts to implement a generational tobacco ban.

NY State Introduces Controversial Bill

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin introduced House Bill A11509 on May 28 in the New York State Assembly. The bill states that any individual in the state of New York born after December 31, 2007, would be banned from purchasing tobacco-related items, from cigarettes and cigars to e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and vapes.

If the bill is passed, the law would require retailers to post a sign stating that "SALE OF CIGARETTES, CIGARS, CHEWING TOBACCO, POWDERED TOBACCO, SHISHA OR OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS, HERBAL CIGARETTES, LIQUID NICOTINE, ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES, ROLLING PAPERS OR SMOKING PARAPHERNALIA, TO PERSONS BORN AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2007 IS PROHIBITED BY LAW."

If the bill is enacted into law, it would go into effect on January 1, 2028.

New York's Argument For the Ban

The bill cites a study in the New England Journal of Medicine stating "tobacco use causes more deaths annually than HIV, drug overdoses, alcohol use, motor vehicle crashes, and firearm-related injuries combined."

Despite having the nation's strongest tobacco control policies, the bill argues that "smoking-related illness continues to impose substantial health and economic burdens on the state."

The state also argues that "the concept of creating a 'tobacco-free generation' has emerged as a new public health strategy designed to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to nicotine products." The state argues that "stronger age-based restrictions are associated with measurable declines in youth tobacco use and cigarette smoking."

What's more, the state argues that generational bans are not new. Massachusetts and the United Kingdom currently have strict tobacco bans.

"In Brookline, Massachusetts, the town enacted a local ordinance that gradually phases out commercial tobacco sales to individuals born after a certain date. In March 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the legality of Brookline's law, recognizing the municipality's authority to adopt enhanced public health protections," the bill states. "Internationally, the United Kingdom introduced legislation intended to permanently prohibit tobacco sales to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, as part of a long-term strategy to create a 'smoke-free generation' and reduce future smoking-related disease and mortality."

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The bill is already facing significant resistance.

According to Cigar Aficionado, the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has filed a petition to fight the ban alongside the New York Cigar Association, which said in a statement that "this modern attempt at prohibition takes a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores clear differences among tobacco products and unfairly sweeps premium cigars, a handcrafted product enjoyed responsibly by adults."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 7:32 PM.