On Wednesday, Washington state Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, announced that she will introduce legislation that could result in a complete ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products in the state.

The campaign is centered around banning menthol products, which Reeves said have long targeted the Black community, including her mother, who died of lung cancer at the age of 60-years-old. However, with the advent of flavored vaping products and other flavored tobacco products that are targeting young people, Reeves’ bill will seek a ban on all flavored tobacco products.

Reeves told KING 5 TV that she had already heard pushback from those who believed that a ban would lead to black-market sales, but she responded by saying the time had come to stand up for the communities and young people targeted by tobacco companies.

The bill has yet to be prefiled for the upcoming session of the Washington State Legislature, which begins on Jan. 13, 2025.

 

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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.