Legislature Selling Out Connecticut’s Kids With Loophole-Ridden Bill on Flavored E-Cigarettes
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
June 15, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – By refusing to end the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes that are addicting a whole new generation, the Connecticut Legislature is making it quite clear that it will sell out Connecticut’s kids to do the bidding of Juul and Altria instead. The current version of the bill is riddled with major loopholes. It does not protect kids by eliminating the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes that nearly a third of Connecticut’s kids currently use. By handing over the decision to the Food and Drug Administration, Connecticut is deferring to an agency that has a poor track record of putting the interests of kids first. It was the FDA’s failure to act that largely created the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use and the need to eliminate these dangerous and addictive products. Connecticut’s neighbors – New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey – have all ended the sale of flavored e-cigarettes without including a laundry list of exemptions to benefit the industry. It’s a shame and an embarrassment that the Connecticut Legislature won’t do the same.
We strongly urge the Legislature to fix this bill by removing the exemptions and loopholes, and if that is not possible, to kill this bad bill and try again next year. Governor Lamont made this issue a priority for the past two sessions, and we appreciate his leadership on behalf of Connecticut’s kids.