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House approves amended S 18 to ban flavored tobacco products; funds online-sales investigator
Summary
The Vermont House debated and amended Senate Bill 18, approving a plan to ban flavored tobacco products (including menthol and flavored e-liquids), fund a new investigator to enforce Internet sales, and delay some implementation to align with advisory reports; the amended report passed on a roll-call vote, 83–53.
The Vermont House on Friday approved amendments to Senate Bill 18, a sweeping proposal to ban flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-liquids and menthol cigarettes, and to tighten enforcement of Internet sales.
The House adopted an amendment creating one permanent investigator at the Department of Liquor and Lottery to focus on direct-to-consumer Internet sales of alcohol and tobacco products. The amendment, offered by the member from Coventry, includes an initial appropriation of $160,000 from the Tobacco Litigation Settlement Fund for fiscal year 2025 and anticipates that collected fines would fund the position thereafter. The presenter said a pilot enforcement effort over three years had produced roughly $900,000 in fines and demonstrated online sales can be prosecuted, arguing the state needs dedicated enforcement capacity.
Supporters said the bill is a public‑health measure aimed at reducing youth nicotine initiation. The presenter of…
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