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Public health advocates, attorney general ask Legislature to broaden tobacco definition to cover synthetic nicotine and pouches
Summary
Ruth Canovi, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Connecticut, told the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee that House Bill 7,275 should be amended to make Connecticut’s definition of tobacco products cover synthetic nicotine and nicotine analogs, including oral pouches, in order to close enforcement loopholes and reduce youth addiction.
Ruth Canovi, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Connecticut, urged the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee to broaden House Bill 7,275 so the state can tax and regulate nicotine-containing products that do not derive nicotine from tobacco. Canovi said the bill’s work to align cigarette definitions with the master settlement agreement and to tighten online sales and identification checks is welcome, but that “we strongly encourage you to expand the definition of tobacco products to include the variety of emerging products like synthetic nicotine and nicotine analog” to protect young people. (first testified 00:30:24–00:33:15)
Advocates and a representative of the attorney general’s office described rapid market change — new high‑potency oral pouches and nicotine analogs — and urged lawmakers not to wait for additional regulation from the federal government. An assistant attorney general summarized federal action in 2022 that extended some federal tobacco rules to synthetic nicotine, but warned that products using “nicotine analogs” are chemically distinct and may currently escape both FDA oversight and Connecticut’s tax code.
Speakers representing healthcare and prevention groups highlighted youth use data and health risks. Canovi and the attorney general’s office told the committee that youth use of oral nicotine pouches has risen sharply in recent years and that nicotine is harmful to the developing brain. The attorney general’s testimony stressed the need for parity in taxation and enforcement across products that deliver addictive nicotine.
Members asked witnesses for evidence and for suggested statutory language. Canovi said her organization would submit written findings and recommended definitions and acknowledged that cigars and some noninhaled products raise separate clinical questions; she offered to follow up with more precise language. The attorney general’s office offered to draft clarifying language to allow licensed Connecticut retailers to ship to adult consumers while preserving age‑verification safeguards.
Why it matters: Witnesses said state law has not kept pace with industry innovation, enabling nearly identical nicotine products to fall into different regulatory and tax categories. They urged lawmakers to close those gaps so enforcement, excise taxation, age limits and the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund’s prevention work apply consistently to products that contain addictive nicotine.
