Oppose Connecticut’s proposed ban on e-cigarette flavors
The American Tax Reform Association opposes Connecticut’s proposed ban on e-cigarette flavors
This week, the American Tax Reform Association submitted written testimony and testified before the Connecticut Legislature’s Joint Public Health Committee against HB 6488, which would have banned flavored vaping products in the state.
ATR’s testimony highlighted the negative impact of a spice ban on public health, as well as the economic damage that banning an entire part of a state’s economy could bring.
“E-cigarettes have proven to be 95% less harmful than combustible cigarettes, and flavored e-cigarettes are essential for adults trying to quit smoking through e-cigarettes.” ATR’s director of consumer issues and testimony writer Tim Andrews said. “This fragrance ban will discourage adults in Connecticut from using low-risk tobacco alternatives to quit smoking. Taste is important to adults, and HB 6488 can deprive them of these life-saving tools. The Connecticut convention must focus on facts, evidence, and science, not just anecdotes and emotional appeals.”
“Research has repeatedly shown that flavors banned by HB 6488 are critical to helping adult smokers switch to e-cigarettes. Adults who use flavored steam products are 43% more likely to quit smoking than those who use unflavored products. HB 6488 directly opposes all currently available data on these risk-reducing tobacco alternatives.”
“Fragrance bans have been shown to lead to increased smoking among young people. A study by Dr. Abigail Friedman of Yale University found that the city of San Francisco more than doubled the odds of youth smoking after it imposed a cigarette ban in 2018. There is no evidence that taste affects teens’ acceptance of e-cigarettes, because it turns out that children are equally willing to try regular e-cigarettes and flavored e-cigarette products.”

“HB 6488 also seeks to ban flavored cigars, a policy that has no evidence that it has any effect on reducing smoking rates. However, Massachusetts enacted a ban on all flavored tobacco products in 2020, but real-world evidence from real-world evidence suggests that such bans are counterproductive and costly. This policy failure has cost Massachusetts more than $10 million in monthly excise tax revenue due to tobacco smuggling and cross-border purchases, while smoking rates have actually risen.”

“It really comes down to an important fundamental question.” Andrews said during oral testimony to committee members. “Connecticut supports prohibition or harm reduction. Harm reduction is effective. There is no ban.”

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