Tag: Coonecticut

  • Connecticut AG Submits Testimony on Flavor Ban

    Connecticut AG Submits Testimony on Flavor Ban

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong submitted testimony concerning House Bill 6488 stating that he fully supports the state’s proposed ban on flavored vaping and other tobacco products.

    He also expressed concern that the “An Act Concerning Cigarettes, Tobacco Products, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Vapor Products” bill as currently written exempts the most widely used flavor—menthol—which must be included in the ban to deter youth addiction.

    “Ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol, will have an enormous impact in reducing the number of people who die or suffer debilitating preventable illness from tobacco use, significantly reducing the number of young people who become addicted to tobacco products, and reversing the youth e-cigarette epidemic,” Tong states. “A comprehensive flavor ban that includes menthol will save thousands of Connecticut lives, protect public health, and advance health equity. It should be implemented immediately.”

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong

    Tong stated that his office has a long history of battling tobacco companies “from negotiating the Master Settlement Agreement in the 1990s to the recently announced settlement with Juul, we have focused our efforts on combatting the insidious ways that Big Tobacco has marketed to children.”

    The bill is the most recent effort by members of the legislature’s Public Health Committee to take flavored nicotine products off the market in an effort to reduce smoking and vaping among young people. Similar legislation has failed to make it across the finish line during recent legislative sessions.

    In May of last year, for the third year in a row, an effort to ban flavored vaping products in Connecticut couldn’t muster enough support.

    Connecticut lawmakers heard testimony on legislation that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vape products as well as prohibit the use of vapes while in a vehicle with a child.

    Connecticut is one of few states in the region that has not adopted a prohibition on flavored e-cigarettes. New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island have barred the sale of flavored vaping products. Massachusetts banned all flavored tobacco items, including flavored cigars, cigarettes and vaping goods.

  • Connecticut Flavor Ban Bill Fails for 3rd Year in a Row

    Connecticut Flavor Ban Bill Fails for 3rd Year in a Row

    Credit: Sharaf Maksumov

    For the third year in a row, an effort to ban flavored vaping products in Connecticut couldn’t muster enough support.

    “We’re incredibly frustrated that the legislature can’t seem to get their priorities in order in a way that would protect kids, the way all of Connecticut’s neighbors already have,” said Kevin O’Flaherty, northeast advocacy director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. They “continue to support industry and industry profits instead of protecting kids.”

    The flavor ban had early momentum in the General Assembly. The Public Health Committee approved the measure in March after hearing hours of testimony, according to CT Mirror.

    Connecticut is one of few states in the region that has not adopted a prohibition on flavored e-cigarettes. New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island have barred the sale of flavored vaping products. Massachusetts banned all flavored tobacco items, including flavored cigars, cigarettes and vaping goods.

    The state has attempted a ban twice before. The proposal was raised in 2020 as part of Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget but was unsuccessful. Lamont had recommended banning flavored vaping products and increasing the tax on all e-cigarette liquids.

    Last year, a bill barring the sale of flavored cigarettes, tobacco products and e-cigarettes was watered down and then shelved. A version of the plan was also added to the state budget implementer but was scrapped.

    This year’s version only targeted the sale of flavored vaping products (not flavored cigarettes or cigars). But it still ran into opposition. E-cigarette makers, store owners and people who say that vaping is an important alternative for those who are quitting smoking testified against the bill.