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Montana committee hears wide-ranging debate on separating alternative nicotine products from tobacco
Summary
Sponsor Ron Marshall and multiple retailers and industry attorneys urged a bill to classify alternative nicotine products separately from combustible tobacco and restrict their sale to age-restricted venues; public health groups warned the change could undermine local authority and public-health protections.
Representative Ron Marshall opened the hearing on House Bill 149 by telling the House Business and Labor Committee the bill separates "alternative nicotine products" from tobacco in state law, creating a parallel licensing and regulatory scheme while keeping many existing consumer protections in place.
Marshall said the sponsors' intent is to create a separate licensing path for vaping and similar products so they are sold through age-restricted venues such as vape shops, bars with restricted entry, and tobacco-only retailers. "We took the alternative nicotine products and peeled them out and like literally separated them from the tobacco products," Marshall said. He told the committee the bill preserves age restrictions, licensing, inspections and penalties but would remove alternative nicotine…
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