House Democrats Push Flavored Tobacco Ban Vote to 2020
The bill aiming to ban all flavored tobacco products will not come to a vote this year.
Dec 13, 2019
WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives will not vote on a bill this year that would yank all flavored tobacco products off the shelf, including menthol cigarettes, flavored smokeless tobacco, flavored cigars, and flavored electronic cigarettes, The Hill reports. The measure would also bump the federal tobacco buying age to 21 and prohibit online sales of e-cigs.
Rep Donna Shalala (D-FL) said she has a “promise” that the bill would see a floor vote early in 2020. Shalala sponsored the bill along with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Shalala had wanted a vote on the bill by year’s end, but with December 31 fast approaching and Congress working to avoid a government shutdown, she decided to postpone the bill until 2020. President Donald Trump initially indicated his administration would jettison all flavored e-cigs from the market, but he has since backpedaled, announcing his intention to find a compromise.
“Congressional action is even more critical now after the president retreated from his promise to prohibit flavors in tobacco products that are so popular with our youth,” Pallone said. “We must advance this legislation in order to prevent losing another generation to tobacco-related illnesses and premature death.”
NACS opposes the provision of the bill that bans the sale of menthol cigarettes, flavored smokeless tobacco, and flavored cigars because a ban of these products would lead to black market given the broad consumer base of adult users that currently exists.
It’s unclear if the Senate would pass the bill with its current language, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) does support a higher tobacco purchasing age.
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