Bangor, Maine’s Flavored Tobacco Ban Goes Into Effect Today

It took a while to get to this point, but a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco is now in effecting Bangor, Maine.

Due to a procedural error, the city was forced to rescind a ban that it had approved in October 2021 that had been set to go into effect on June 1. Once the council gave businesses affected by the proposal the 30 days notice required by Maine law whenever a city is considering a new tobacco ordinance that is stricter than state law, it was able to revisit the ban, approving it by a 6-1 vote in August.

With the law now in effect, violators will be subject to a fine of $50 to $100 for a first offense, which then increases to between $300 and $1,000 for subsequent offenses within a two-year period. It includes a ban on products with menthol as well as alternative nicotine delivery products, within exemptions for premium cigars.

Maine has recently become a hotspot of bans on flavored tobacco products, as in late December, South Portland passed a ban of its own, becoming the third of the state’s four most populated cities and fourth city overall to pass such a ban.

Bangor is home to roughly 32,000 residents.