Several Maine Cities to Ban Flavored Nicotine Products

The Portland, Maine City Council voted unanimously on February 7, 2022 to ban flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, and flavored cigars, beginning in June 2022.[1]The ban makes Portland the second city in Maine to ban flavored tobacco products, following in the footsteps of Bangor City Council. Bangor's ban goes into effect June 1.

The ban was brought before the councils of both cities because of concerns about the tobacco industry targeting vulnerable communities, particularly children, people of color and the LGBTQ community, with flavored products. A third city in the state, Brunswick, is also considering banning the sale of flavored products soon in an effort to reduce nicotine use among youth.[2].

U.S. municipalities at the forefront of flavored product bans

The two municipalities join 330 others nationwide that have already passed restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products. The American Lung Association applauded the move and urged the rest of Maine to follow suit.[3]. A bill was proposed to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products across California starting January 1, 2021. Following pressure from the tobacco industry, which deployed significant lobbying resources to block the implementation of this measure, the law was postponed until the 2022 midterm elections.[4]. Several Californian cities have decided to take the lead and ban the sale of flavored nicotine products at their level. The city of Sacramento decided in early January 2022 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products from July.

In 2009, the FDA banned cigarettes with distinctive flavors other than menthol (e.g., cherry, chocolate) at the federal level. This ban was an important first step toward regulating flavors. In April 2019, the FDA banned menthol cigarettes and all cigar flavors nationwide. However, the state regulatory agency has stopped short of including menthol flavors for e-cigarettes.[5]. Again, many regulations had already been passed at the local level, and many cities had banned the sale of menthol tobacco products. In November 2019, Massachusetts became the first state to restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.

Keywords: United States, Maine, flavors, nicotine products, ban

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[1] Rachel Ohm, Portland council approves ban on sale of flavored tobacco products, Press Herald, February 8, 2022, accessed February 9, 2022 [2] Thatcher Carter, Brunswick to consider ban on selling flavored tobacco products, Press Herald, February 8, 2022, accessed February 9, 2022 [3] Press release, In Big Win for Kids, Portland, Maine, Votes to End Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, February 8, 2022, accessed February 9, 2022 [4] Tobacco-free generation, California: Flavor Ban Postponed Following Tobacco Industry Appeal, January 28, 2021, accessed February 9, 2022 [5] Tobacco-free generation, US Bans Menthol Cigarettes, April 29, 2021, accessed February 9, 2022 National Committee Against Smoking |