Home Politics America US: Maine’s Proposed Flavoured Tobacco Ban is Detrimental to Public Health

US: Maine’s Proposed Flavoured Tobacco Ban is Detrimental to Public Health

LD 1550, currently being constructed and considered in Maine’s 2022 state legislative session, would deny adult smokers access to their preferred safer nicotine alternatives.

Diane Caruana

April 13, 2022

A study from San Francisco found that while the ban did lead to a decline in e-cigarettes and cigars sales, it sadly also caused a spike in smoking rates.

“LD 1550 passed out of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services with a split report: the majority report supporting passage of a complete flavor ban; the minority report supporting the flavor ban with the exception of (1) mint/menthol flavored products and (2) products authorized for marketing by the FDA through its premarket tobacco application (PMTA) process or its modified-risk tobacco product (MRTP) pathway,” reported the Maine Wire.

The bill not only discounts the FDA’s assessment of safer alternative nicotine products, but also the countless peer reviewed scientific studies indicating that in most cases, such products are smokers’ best chance to quit cigarettes. A 2021 study titled, “The effectiveness of using e‐cigarettes for quitting smoking compared to other cessation methods among adults in the United Kingdom,” is one such study.

The researchers analysed data from a 1155 respondents aged between 18 and 81, from a longitudinal online survey collected between 2012 and 2017. “Compared with using no help, the odds of abstinence were increased by daily use of disposable/cartridge e-cigarettes (ECs) and daily use of refill/modular. Odds were reduced by non‐daily use of disposable/cartridge, and by use of disposable/cartridge ECs to quit and no longer using at follow‐up.Secondary Results were similar to the primary outcome; however, odds of abstinence were also increased by use of smoking cessation medication,” reported the paper.

“When used daily, electronic cigarettes appear to facilitate abstinence from smoking when compared with using no help,” concluded the researchers.

Flavour bans do not work

Similarly, a study looking into San Francisco’s vape flavour ban reported alarming findings. Titled, “The Impact of a Comprehensive Tobacco Flavour Ban in San Francisco Among Young Adults,” the current study was conducted with the aim of determining the impact of the ban on tobacco use behavior. A sample of 247 San Francisco residents were surveyed about their e-cigarette and tobacco use, before and after the flavour ban.

The study found that while the ban did lead to a decline in e-cigarettes and cigars sales, it sadly also caused a spike in smoking rates. Additionally, the researchers found that the measure was not enforced properly and 65% of the participants reported being able to obtain flavoured products in multiple ways.

“These findings suggest that comprehensive local flavor bans, by themselves, cannot sharply reduce the availability or use of flavored tobacco products among residents. Nevertheless, local bans can still significantly reduce overall e-cigarette use and cigar smoking but may increase cigarette smoking,” concluded the study.