American Lung Association Applauds Portland City Council as it Becomes Second and Largest Municipality in Maine to End the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products

The American Lung Association applauds the Portland City Council for tonight’s passage of an ordinance to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products in the city. Lance Boucher, assistant vice president for state public policy for the American Lung Association issued the following statement:

"The City of Portland made a bold statement tonight when it acted to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products. Not only did they take a stand to prioritize our kids’ health over tobacco industry profits, they sent a message to Augusta that Mainers are ready to leave tobacco behind.

"Last month new data from our 2022 State of Tobacco Control Report revealed that the high school tobacco use rate in Maine is an astounding 33%. In addition, the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data painted a grim picture of youth vaping in the U.S. showing that kids are lured by flavors and becoming regular users. The American Lung Association is particularly alarmed at the frequency of use by teens: 43.6% of high school students who use e-cigarettes are vaping regularly (20 or more of the past 30 days), and more than one in four (27.6%) are vaping daily. This regular use underscores how addicted youth have become to e-cigarettes.

"We applaud Portland's movement on this important public health measure and urge Governor Mills and the Maine Legislature to build on this momentum and include this policy in the upcoming supplemental budget to protect all Maine kids from Madawaska to Kittery."