Maine Senate votes to ban flavors for tobacco and vaping products

The Maine Senate has approved a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products in the state, a measure widely supported by the public.

Introduced by Democratic Senator Jill Duson, the bill passed 18-16 on June 21, 2023. It will then be debated by the House of Representatives. If approved, the New England state will ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products such as mint, vanilla, or fruit flavors. The bill does not criminalize the use, purchase, or possession of these products by consumers, preferring to focus on prohibiting their sale by retailers.

"I stand up for the young people of Maine," Jill Duson told reporters Wednesday, June 21. "Every single one of them is a target of the tobacco industry, a ruthless and predatory industry that doesn't care one bit about them or the value they represent to our state. The tobacco industry has only one goal: profit."[1].

Among the objections raised against the measure in the Senate was the concern that revenue from the sale of flavored products would be lost to other states as consumers shopped outside Maine or online. However, supporters of the measure anticipate savings over time, knowing that people who do not consume these products are less likely to get sick and cost the health system money. With a smoking prevalence rate of 16.5% among adults and 6.8% among high school students in 2019[2], the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that "smoking is linked to 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths" and that smoking cost Maine's health care system more than $811 million in 2019.[3].

Strong popular support for banning flavors

This bill has strong support among Maine voters. According to a survey by Flavors Hook Kids Maine, 631,300 voters in the state said they support banning the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products.[4]In April 2023, South Portland County joined Brunswick, Portland, and Bangor in banning the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products within its boundaries.[5].

The call to ban flavors for tobacco and vaping products is particularly supported by the marketing strategies of tobacco companies, which target vulnerable people such as young people or populations in difficulty as well as ethnic minorities. A report by the organization Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids published on February 21, 2023 established that tobacco companies particularly targeted Black populations in the promotion of menthol cigarettes, more affordable financially than conventional cigarettes. This targeting has resulted in an increase in the consumption of these products among this part of the population. Thus, in the 1950s, only 10% of Black smokers smoked menthol cigarettes, in 2023 this figure reached 85%[6].

Keywords: Maine, flavors, vaping, cigarettes, menthol, Senate, vote, ban.

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[1] Maine Senate votes to ban flavored tobacco products, Portland Press Herald, June 21, 2023, accessed June 28, 2023.

[2] Tobacco use in Maine 2021, Truth Initiative, January 31, 2022, accessed June 29, 2023

[3] State of Tobacco Control Report 2022 Maine, American Lung Association, January 25, 2022, accessed June 28, 2023

^[4] Two-Thirds of Mainers Support Ending Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products, Flavors Hook Kids Maine, January 3, 2022, accessed June 28, 2023

[5] Flavored tobacco sales banned in South Portland starting April 1, Bangor Daily News, December 21, 2022, accessed June 28, 2023

[6] STOPPING MENTHOL, SAVING LIVES, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, February 21, 2023, accessed June 28, 2023