Tag: Maine

Hallowell is 7th Maine City to Ban Flavored Nicotine

Credit: Lukasz Kochanek
There are now seven cities in the state of Maine that ban flavored nicotine products.
There is also legislation is due to be taken up in the Maine House for a statewide flavor ban in the coming weeks. The Senate passed it last year.
Monday night, the Hallowell City Council voted to end the sale of flavored nicotine products in the city.
The ordinance was passed after a 3-3 tie was resolved by the presiding officer.
Hallowell is now the seventh community in Maine to ban the products, joining the towns Falmouth, Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor in passing similar bans on selling flavored nicotine products.
Those who voted against the motion said prohibition isn’t effective and enforcing existing laws regarding underage sales should be a priority.
February 14, 2024
Another Maine City Seeks Ban on Flavored Tobacco

Credit: Ianm35
The city of Hallowell seeks to become the latest community in Maine to ban the sale of flavored vaping and other tobacco products.
Monday night, the city held a public hearing on an ordinance that would do exactly that. During the meeting, 300 signatures supporting the flavored tobacco ban were delivered to the council, according to local media.
During the hearing, people argued both for and against the ban, with those against saying the city should be looking at the bigger picture and consider enacting a smoking ban citywide. Those in favor cited not only the negative health effects, but also that it’s intentionally marketed to young people.
If Hallowell does pass a ban, they will join the towns Falmouth, Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor in passing similar bans on selling flavored tobacco products.
January 10, 2024
Another City in Maine Bans Flavored Nicotine Sales

Credit: Gary L Hider
The state of Maine is a hotbed of nicotine regulation. The town of Falmouth became the sixth municipality in the state to outlaw flavored tobacco products.
The town council voted 5-2 in support of an ordinance that will make it illegal to sell any vaping or other tobacco product that imparts or is advertised to impart a taste or smell “other than that of tobacco” when the ban goes into effect on March 12, 2024.
Falmouth has a population of just over 12,000 residents. The town joins Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor in passing similar bans on selling flavored tobacco products.
Retailers found violating the law will be subject to a written warning for a first offense, followed by a fine of $500 for a second offense and $1,000 fine for each subsequent violation.
The ordinance does not prohibit the use of flavored tobacco products; however, it does aim to make it harder for individuals, youth and adults, to acquire the products.
One supporter of the ban, councilmember Janice de Lima, said she considered the ordinance a win even if only five kids were prevented from using flavored nicotine products, regardless of the impact on other residents or businesses.
Council vice-chair Jay Trickett spent several minutes critiquing the ban, citing studies that show bans on flavored tobacco products result in increased levels of cigarette use, adding that the council had public health policy backward with the ordinance, according to Halfwheel.
Trickett said the ordinance’s passage will result in increased health risks for certain residents of the town, possibly forcing some current vapers to return to smoking more deadly combustible cigarettes. It could also potentially drive some youth who use vaping products to switch to combustible tobacco products. The ban would also negatively impact local businesses.
“We are blundering about with a sweeping regulation that only indirectly addresses the problem and absolutely harms other residents because we feel the need to do something,” he said during Monday’s meeting.
Additionally, the council passed a resolution to codify its support of the ban:
“The Falmouth Town Council believes that reduced access to flavored tobacco products could potentially reduce youth resident initiation to tobacco products and thereby decrease youth tobacco and nicotine addiction and associated health risks. The Council believes that this outweighs the potential impacts on adult tobacco product users and retailers. The Council supports the enactment of an ordinance to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products by tobacco retailers in Falmouth.”
The Hallowell City Council has also held a first reading of a similar ordinance.
December 13, 2023
Maine Anti-Vape Group Petitioning for Flavor Ban

Credit: Fellow Neko
Supporters of a nicotine product flavor ban gathering signatures as voters hit the polls Tuesday in Maine.
The Flavors Hook Kids Maine Coalition has been at several polling places around the state claiming they want to continue putting names behind the statewide flavor ban effort as the House of Representatives considers the bill in the next legislative session.
The bill passed in the Senate this year. However, the Maine Legislature tabled a bill to end the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide last year.
They say the most recent polling shows 63 percent of Mainers strongly support a ban on flavored tobacco and vaping products.
One of their biggest goals is to reduce teen vaping and tobacco use.
”To a young person whose brain is not yet fully formed at the age of 15, 16 years old, nicotine is even more addictive because of that,” said Dan Cashman, Flavors Hook Kids Maine spokesperson. “So, the reason for getting them hooked on nicotine is to get them hooked on tobacco. It’s a pretty easy line to draw from one to the next and none of it is okay.”
It’s been a hot topic in Maine with some health advocacy groups claiming flavored vaping and other tobacco products are marketed toward children while many shop owners owners say banning it would be a big blow to business.
The bill sought to make statewide prohibitions that are already in place in Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor.
November 9, 2023
Bill Banning Flavored Vaping Products in Maine Dies

Maine State House (Credit: Jovannig)
The Maine Legislature has tabled a bill to end the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide. In the U.S., when a bill is tabled it is no longer up for debate for the current term.
It’s been a hot topic in Maine with some health advocacy groups claiming flavored vaping and other tobacco products are marketed toward children while many business owners say banning it would be a big blow, according to media reports.
The bill sought to make statewide prohibitions that are already in place in Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor.
A similar statewide effort failed last year when lawmakers adjourned without taking up the bill.
The bill could be taken up again next year.
July 28, 2023
Maine Senate Votes to Move Flavor Ban to House

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
The Maine Senate on Wednesday advanced a ban on flavored tobacco products, sending the bill down to the House for a potential vote today, reports WGME.
The bill, which passed 18-16, if passed by the House, will ban the sale of flavors like mint, vanilla, fruits and menthol in vaping products.
The ban does not include menthol combustible cigarettes.
However, the bill will not penalize the use, purchase or possession of flavored products, only the sale by tobacco retailers.
The ban seeks to make statewide prohibitions that are already in place in Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor have also voted for similar bans.
A similar statewide effort failed last year when lawmakers adjourned without taking up the bill.
June 22, 2023
Bar Harbor is Fifth Maine Town to ban Flavored Vapes
Credit: Lucitanija
There is a flurry of flavor bans going on in Maine. In a unanimous vote by the town council, Bar Harbor has become the fifth town in the U.S. state to ban flavored tobacco products.
Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, and Bangor have also voted for similar bans.
The new Bar Harbor ordinance takes effect June 1, 2023, and will end the sale of tobacco products with “any taste or smell relating to fruit, menthol, mint, wintergreen, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, honey, or any candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb or spice,” according to WMTW.
Legislation to create a statewide ban has been introduced in Augusta, which is expected to be taken up this session.
March 12, 2023
Bill to Ban Flavors Statewide Introduced in Maine
Maine State House (Credit: Jovannig)
A bill has been submitted in the legislature of the U.S. state of Maine that would ban flavored vaping and other tobacco products in the state if passed.
Maine State Senator Jill Duson filed the bill on Friday. Maine has served as a centerpiece for bans on the sale of flavored tobacco recently, as three of the state’s four most populated cities have passed their own bans.
Most recently, South Portland passed legislation banning the sale of flavored tobacco products.
The owner of Portland Smoke and Vape South Portland says there has been overwhelming support from the vape community who have signed a petition against the ban.
South Portland joins Portland, Brunswick, and Bangor as communities where flavored tobacco products are no longer sold.
The Maine State Legislature has already begun its session, but the bill has not yet been assigned to a committee, according to media reports.
January 2, 2023
South Portland, Maine to Consider Flavor Ban Today

Credit: ATDR
South Portland may become the next Maine community to ban the sale of flavored vaping and other tobacco products.
Under a proposed ordinance, violators would receive a $500 fine that could jump to $2,500 per subsequent violation.
Included in the proposed ban are tobacco products with “any taste or smell relating to fruit, menthol, mint, wintergreen, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, honey, or any candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb, or spice.”
The city council will hold a hearing Today, according to Spectrum News.
The ordinance is being proposed as a way to prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine.
South Portland attempted a ban in 2019 stalled, however, it stalled partly because no other Maine community had yet done so, according to media reports.
Now, both Bangor and Portland have banned flavored tobacco earlier this year following a unanimous vote of its city council.
A recent study showed that less than 5 percent of the 3,500 adult e-cigarette users surveyed quit using e-cigarettes in response to a U.S. flavor ban.
December 6, 2022
Maine Backs Out of Multi-State Juul Labs Settlement

Credit: Ianm35
Not everyone is satisfied with Juul Labs’ multi-state settlement over its youth marketing practices. The Maine Attorney General’s Office on Friday said his state would be backing out of its $11 million agreement with e-cigarette manufacturer after objecting to certain conditions from the company.
Maine was set to receive an estimated $11.6 million over the next six to 10 years as part of a nearly $440 million settlement between the manufacturer and 33 states and territories. The investigation found that Juul had marketed its products to youth.
However, as part of the agreement, Juul wanted states to waive the rights of school districts to pursue their own lawsuits, according to the Maine AG’s office. Maine wasn’t willing to agree to that.
“We are disappointed in the outcome of these negotiations, but ultimately we were unwilling to waive the rights of other entities who are also trying to hold Juul accountable for its deception,” Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement to The Maine Monitor.
It was not immediately clear if other states would also abandon the agreement.
September 25, 2022