A bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco in Vermont received the approval of the House of Representatives on Thursday, passing by an 83-53 vote with 14 members absent or not voting and with the vote coming just shy of a year since the Senate passed a different version of the bill on March 30, 2023.
In addition to the ban, SB 18 would direct the Office of the Attorney General to report on the extent to which Vermont may legally restrict advertising and regulate labels for e-cigarettes and other vaping-related products.
Should the Senate approve this new version and the bill be signed into law, it would bring an end to the sale of flavored tobacco products—cigars and pipe tobacco included—as well as flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products on Jan. 1, 2026. Vermont’s governor, Phil Scott, has not indicated whether he will sign the bill should it make it to his desk, but he has expressed concern over the potential loss of tax revenue.
Update (March 23, 2024) — The Senate agreed to the House’s amendments by a vote of 18-11 on March 21.