N. Hempstead postpones hearing on restricting smoking ads

North Hempstead officials are still deliberating a proposed law that prohibits colorful advertisements for e-cigarettes and tobacco products near places where children congregate.

The public hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed because a legal notice was not posted as required, Town Clerk Wayne Wink said at Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

The law would establish restrictions for any smoking-related ads appearing inside or outside businesses within 500 feet of a child daycare center, park or school. Under the law, ads would be limited to five by eight inches, and would need to be printed in black, white, or gray.

In August, the town board passed a law relegating vape stores and hookah bars to industrial and business zones in the town, which bars these businesses from being located near residences, or public areas such as churches, schools, libraries, and hospitals.

Both laws, which restrict where and how smoking products are sold, were designed to discourage children from smoking, Councilwoman Dina de Giorgio said.