On February 7, City Council members in Portland, the largest city in Maine, voted unanimously to ban the sale of flavored “tobacco products.”
The amendment bars the sale of all flavored nicotine products, including vapes. It does not exempt menthol. And it explicitly prohibits flavored products that use synthetic nicotine, like Puff Bar.
It will take effect on June 1, the same day as a similar ordinance in Bangor, another city in Maine. Maine’s state-level legislators, meanwhile, are pushing for a statewide flavor ban, which could come to a vote in early spring.
Councilor Tae Chong, who introduced the Portland amendment, said the move would protect “the most vulnerable among us,” particularly kids, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. Implying that hundreds of other US jurisdictions couldn’t all be wrong, he said, “There are over 300 municipalities across the country that have some kind of flavored tobacco ban, and over 120 that have a full tobacco ban.”
Alex Norcia – Filter – 2022-02-10.
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