Massachusetts House Passes Tobacco Control Legislation

BOSTON- Representative David P. Linsky (D-Natick) along with his colleagues in the House of Representatives passed legislation to ban all flavored tobacco products and tax vaping products in an effort to protect youth from the harmful effects of tobacco usage.

This legislation, referred to as An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control, also requires commercial health insurers and MassHealth to cover tobacco cessation counseling and all nicotine replacement therapies with generics offered without any cost-sharing to the consumer. The flavor ban includes a ban on menthol cigarettes and restricts higher nicotine level products to age 21 plus tobacco shops and smoking bars.

“I believe it is imperative that we address the vaping epidemic across the country,” said Representative Linsky. “It is important that we do all we can to prevent our youth from becoming addicted to tobacco products while also providing resources to those who are already suffering from addiction here in Massachusetts.”

In Massachusetts, 9,300 adults die annually from smoking, and more than 20 percent of high school students report having used vaping products. More than 80 percent of teens who have used a tobacco product started with a flavored product such as mint or menthol. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has reported three vaping-related deaths to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Massachusetts, smoking is estimated to cost more than $4 billion in direct healthcare costs.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

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