Last week, an op-ed was published (“Mainers are being punished for making smarter health decisions,” Sept. 11) attacking recent legislation that updated the legal definition of tobacco to include new and emerging tobacco products. While the author claimed this move is “backward public health policy,” this couldn’t be further from the truth.

While Big Tobacco continues to sell cigarettes and create new addictive products, it still refuses to acknowledge the simple truth: no matter what its form, there is no safe form of nicotine or tobacco use. Products like nicotine pouches are wolves in sheep’s clothing aimed at keeping those who are addicted tight within the tobacco industry’s deadly clutches.

The data is clear: increasing tobacco excise taxes is one of the best ways to reduce overall tobacco use. When considering changes to the definition of tobacco products last session, Maine lawmakers looked at this compelling factor and saw the potentially lifesaving public health benefits. By exempting certain products from the definition of tobacco products – and thus the associated excise taxes – Maine’s youth were being incentivized to try these lower priced products, and Maine adults who wanted to quit were led to believe that these untaxed products were a safe choice for their health.

For years, a broad coalition of Maine public health groups have advocated for the passage of comprehensive tobacco control measures, including significantly increasing excise taxes on all tobacco products and fully funding the state’s tobacco control program. As Big Tobacco digs in its heels creating new products to addict the next generation of Mainers, so lawmakers must also commit to supporting policies that protect our kids and combat the tobacco industry’s continued targeting.

It’s common knowledge that tobacco is an addictive and deadly product. Tobacco use harms nearly every organ in the body and remains the nation’s number one cause of preventable death. Shouldn’t we do everything in our power to ensure that all tobacco products are treated – and taxed – equally, to reap the proven public health benefits of tobacco control policies?

Thanks to decades of research, education and advocacy, the national rate of cigarette smoking is dropping. Yet nearly half a million kids in our country report using nicotine pouches, and locally, just shy of 18% of Maine high schoolers report using e-cigarettes. These numbers are proof that we are not out of the woods when it comes to tobacco use.

As Big Tobacco continues to re-create and rebrand its products to protect its bottom line at the cost of public health, so must lawmakers work to ensure tobacco control policies evolve at equal pace.

Not only was including any product that includes nicotine in the definition of “tobacco products” a smart decision for public health, it was also the right choice for our state’s economy. In addition to the short-term financial benefits of increased tax revenue, we stand to see long term financial benefits as tobacco use – and the costs associated with treating tobacco related illness and productivity losses – decrease.

Maine is moving in the right direction when it comes to tobacco control, but more work needs to be done. In the 2025 legislative session, we look forward to protecting the progress we’ve made and working with Maine lawmakers to prioritize public health over Big Tobacco’s bottom line through public policy.