SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington lawmakers are pushing for a statewide ban of flavored tobacco, saying it’s necessary to keep kids safe.
“The prevalence of flavored products is bringing way too many young people into very dangerous behaviors for themselves,” said Chris Reykdal, Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington and supporter of this bill.
Some warn, however, that a ban like this could have several potential drawbacks for those in the tobacco industry.
This new push would have flavored tobacco and nicotine sales, including the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, pouches, chews, and menthol cigarettes, banned across the state.
“There will be a huge economic impact because you can think of all the jobs that have been lost,” said Brad Bellinger, the owner of Lilac City Vapor. “If it does go through, that’s 90% of the vape shops and their businesses.”
While there are many negative side effects to using flavored tobacco products, some businesses that rely on it like Lilac City Vapor argue getting rid of it might not be the solution.
“Since we’re a border city, they can just go to Idaho ang get whatever they need to come back,” said Bellinger. Not only would this lead to a loss of a consumer base, Bellinger also points out it could lead to more people going towards the black market.
“They’ve already taken the steps to mitigate underage use… it’s just a matter of (just) enforcing it,” Bellinger said.
However, advocates argue this change is needed to save lives and protect kids, whom they say are using these products more and at younger ages.
“We see it now in late elementary school and certainly a major problem in our middle schools,” Reykdal said.
According to the advocacy group Flavors Hook Kids Washington, 8 out of 10 youths who use tobacco started with a flavored product. The hope for this legislature is to change this trend.
“The most viable option now is total avoidance with a ban on flavored products in the state of Washington,” Reykdal said.
If the bill were to pass this legislation, the ban would go into effect in 2026.
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