All available evidence should make it hard to oppose this tax with a straight face. Where there’s smoke …
smoking
Cavalier attitudes about vaping, marijuana raise fears about teen health
Smoking and drinking have declined among Maine youths in recent years, but the percentage of high schoolers who said they vaped in the past 30 days rose from 16.8% in 2015 to 30.2% in 2019.
Maine, with region’s highest smoking rate, funds cessation
Almost 18% of adults in Maine use cigarettes.
Lawmakers shield state tobacco fund, but expand its mission
A bill approved by the House and Senate would create a board of trustees to oversee the state’s tobacco settlement money, while also broadening the trust’s mission from tobacco prevention to public health.
Lawmakers hear conflicting arguments on bill to ban sales of flavored tobacco products in Maine
Proponents said the ban would save lives and protect children from tobacco manufacturers’ marketing efforts, but others said a ban would simply drive consumers into New Hampshire to buy products.
Our View: Increased smoking, drinking part of COVID’s cost
It will take a few years to know if people’s pandemic coping methods will result in increased sickness and death.
Maine tops New England for smoking, new lung cancer cases
Almost 18% of Maine people smoke, and that is 2.5 percentage points higher than the national average.
Maine Compass: It’s time to out Big Tobacco’s targeting of the LGBTQ community
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the nation, and LGBT Mainers are among the hardest hit.
Jim Fossel: Maine Democrats try to keep banning binge going
Bills that would ban plastic straws and vaping could get a spot on the second session agenda alongside strict gun control legislation.
U.S. endorses tobacco pouches as less risky than cigarettes
The company will be able to advertise that its pouches pose a lower risk of lung cancer and heart disease than cigarettes.