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casaa cta flavor ban

Bloomington, MN – [Concluded] Stop a Flavor Ban!

current status

Ordinance
Introduced

Passed
Committee

Passed
Full Council

Signed by
Mayor

04/26/21 – Public Hearing Scheduled, 6:00 PM

03/23/21 – Draft ordinance Amending Chapter 14: Licenses and Permits, Division W: Sale of Tobacco-Related Products.

The Bloomington City Council is moving toward banning sales of flavored vapor and tobacco products. The proposed ordinance would also cap the number of tobacco retailer licenses in the city at the current amount with a ban on issuing new licenses as old ones are not renewed.

A Public Hearing on this proposal is scheduled for
Monday, April 26, 2021
6:00 PM

Research into what role flavors may play in young people’s willingness to experiment with tobacco products is evolving. But recent studies show that flavors play a crucial role in helping people who currently smoke transition to a safer, smoke-free alternative. Moreover, it is possible that any negative effects resulting from young people experimenting with flavored nicotine products may be entirely offset by the benefits of people who currently smoke switching to safer nicotine products.

  • State that you are opposed to banning flavored nicotine products in Bloomington.
  • Feel free to add your story noting any changes in health you’ve experienced since switching to vaping.
  • If you are responding from outside of Bloomington, make sure you include where in Minnesota you live (preferably you are including your address, but, at the very least, your city/town should be fine) and what connections you have with the city (e.g. work, family, friends, etc.).
  • Be brief, be kind, and say thank you 🙂
  • Click here for more detailed talking points regarding flavor bans.

For those new to vaping or just generally unfamiliar with federal regulations, the premarket tobacco application (or PMTA) deadline was September 9, 2020. This application is required to keep or bring new tobacco/nicotine products on the market. It is estimated that 95% to 98% of vapor manufacturers will not be able to afford this process and will not be capable of filing on time.

But 98% is not 100% (as the antis are fond of saying).

The FDA has already approved some new tobacco products that are being sold in flavors other than tobacco (specifically mint, menthol, and wintergreen). In the weeks prior to the September deadline, the FDA accepted for review several applications for bottled e-liquid in flavors ranging from tobacco to cereal to fruit. Despite the rhetoric from certain members of congress and the incessant pro-drug war drum beat of tobacco prohibitionists, FDA is still capable of authorizing flavored smoke-free nicotine products for market. Moreover, FDA may even allow manufactures of these products to market them as safer than cigarettes, if they apply for and receive a modified risk order.

A flavor ban in Bloomington undermines any decision by FDA to allow low-risk flavored tobacco products on the market after having met the “appropriate for the protection of public health” standard. Even without involving the FDA, flavor bans are being enacted without thorough consideration of the negative consequences. Sales data from Massachusetts and New York suggest that many people who were vaping prior to the flavor bans simply returned to smoking. A similar outcome is being observed in San Francisco, the first major US city to pass a flavor ban targeting vapers.

While a flavor ban may amount to an inconvenience for teens who are experimenting with substance use, it is actively harming their parents who are trying to quit smoking and set a positive example for their children.

City Meetings - Agendas, webcasts, and documents

Read The Proposed Ordinance

Did you see CASAA's alert about new taxes on vapor products in MN?

Take Action Now!

Send your comments by email to:

  • tobacco@bloomingtonmn.gov

You can also leave a voicemail at:

  • 952-563-4695
  • (see talking points for leaving a brief, but detailed, message)

Bloomington City Council Members on Twitter:

  • @TRBusse
  • @PatrickMWMartin
  • @jennacarterMN
  • @NathanCoulter
  • @bloomington_mn

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