Vermont is considering a law that would ban the sale of flavored vaping products, according to local media reports.
The ban was floated last year as a way to prevent youth usage of nicotine products, but the proposal was sidelined after the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, said in an interview this week that she’d like the Senate to pass the bill, S.24, “as quickly as possible.” She said use of nicotine products by young people has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
State economists have also reported a surge in revenue from the sales of tobacco products and e-cigarettes, and more young people have been using cigarettes and vapes, according to the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health.
“During the pandemic, we’ve seen a real fallback from all the progress we’ve made on limiting youth access to tobacco and other flavored products, so it seems more important than ever to move forward with this bill,” Lyons said.
