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.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.