Flavored tobacco products may not be sold in South Portland as of April 1.
The City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to prohibit the sale of tobacco products that contain or market themselves as tasting like anything other than tobacco, from candy-flavored vapes to menthol cigarettes. Stores in the city currently stocking flavored tobacco have roughly three months to sell their inventory.
Parents, students, health experts and other community members petitioned the council to pass the ordinance over the past month, both in and out of council chambers. Flavors Hook Kids Maine organized a press conference and rallied over 900 registered voters to send each city councilor a postcard advocating for the ban.
Those who have spoken out against the ban at council meetings have predominantly been tobacco retailers. They argue that the ordinance is too widespread when the catalyst for the ban was a rise in underage use among South Portland students. They have also argued that, as retailers, they do not sell to minors. People will buy flavored tobacco products in neighboring towns, they said, taking business away from the city without solving the problem.
“I don’t think that ‘bans don’t work,'” said Councilor Misha Pride at Tuesday’s meeting. “I think that’s the easy way of saying ‘I don’t want this. We need to slow down because I don’t want this.’ We can’t, we have to move forward.”
Councilors Linda Cohen and Richard Matthews voted against the ban.
“These kids have their networks and those networks are going to continue,” Cohen said. “(Adults) are going to buy those products in other communities and they’re going to continue to provide them to the kids, and that’s why I feel we should be strengthening our laws against adults who supply minors.”
South Portland joins Portland, Brunswick and Bangor in banning flavored tobacco products.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
