House passes ban on flavored tobacco products in bid to curb youth vaping
Measure divides Democrats, some say it will lead to police targeting of African-Americans
The House on Friday narrowly passed a bill banning flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco products, with Democrats divided on the issue.
The bill — sponsored by Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) — bans non-tobacco flavors like fruit and candy in an attempt to check the increasing number of youths who are vaping.
“We need to ban flavors across the board because that’s what masks the nicotine and makes people think that it’s OK," Pallone said.
The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House 213-195.
The Senate will likely not consider the bill.
The Trump administration is working on a federal rule that is expected to ban the sale of fruit- and sweet-flavored vaping products but allow menthol-flavored e-cigarettes to remain widely available.
The divide among Democrats over the House bill centers around its ban of menthol cigarettes, which are largely consumed by an African-American base. Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus fear the bill may allow for a police targeting of African-Americans.
Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union sent out a letter outlining its opposition to the bill. The letter voices concern that the bill will “further engrain systemic criminalization and racism.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), aware of the intra-party divide on the bill, showed support for the measure, predicated on endorsements from the National Black Nurses Association, the National Medical Association, and the NAACP. The bill is also supported by the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and American Heart Association.
The bill would also prevent the sale of e-cigarettes online and restrict the industry’s advertising and marketing abilities.