Flavored tobacco ban faces lobbying onslaught at Statehouse

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Will a proposed flavored tobacco ban make it across the finish line at the Vermont Statehouse? The bill, which has been years in the works, would ban the sale of flavored tobacco, including vaping products, and is similar to proposed measures in eight states.

A crowd of middle and high school students marched to the Vermont Statehouse Tuesday to urge lawmakers to pay attention to their health and their future.

Supporters of the measure say it would decrease rates of lung and mouth cancer and would lead to more equitable health outcomes for people of color as well as LGBTQ Vermonters. “I think people are saying, this is not right, and for equity reasons alone, we need to be more supportive of this legislation,” said Vt. Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine.

The proposed ban has fallen short the past six years, but this year the debate has heated up. Lawmakers are fielding auto-generated emails orchestrated by a fierce lobbying effort from retailers and the industry.

Health officials say young people obtain vapes from older siblings, friends, or online, despite an effort to crack down on online sales. “I don’t think our merchants are the major problem there for sure,” Levine said.

There’s a disagreement on how a ban would affect businesses’ bottom line. Distributors and retailers predict it will clobber their income, saying the products are popular with adults. “You’ll see it directly impacted on businesses as well it just trickles down to the local businesses where you will see your local mom and pop shop, the corner store that’s been there for 30 years shut down because of this,” said V.J. Mayor with the Northeast Wholesalers Assoc.

With just weeks until crossover day, where bills have to be voted out of each chamber, the bill is stuck in a key Senate committee. Economists estimate the bill would cost anywhere from $7-to-$14 million in lost tax revenue, a concern for some fiscally moderate lawmakers in the face of skyrocketing property taxes and flood recovery efforts.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden County, says a ban would save nearly $190 million on long-term health care costs in the coming years. She describes it as a moral issue. “We have to stop thinking about small businesses in this case. I love my small businesses but it’s time to think about small people, kids, and their future,” she said.

The bill had also included a ban on menthol-flavored products, but that has now been punted to a legislative study.