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Comments
jfc
Im a BIG left wing liberal Democratic voter who partakes in neither tobacco or vaping but this is just so insanely dumb that it makes my head hurt
Ban
Why not just ban all tobacco, it's the same product in the end. If they banned Moxie (saying Moxie is bad for you) and still sold diet Moxie, it would make zero sense.
The black market laughs.
The black market laughs.
Recreational pot is ok, but not cigs?
This is nothing more than a moral panic which will backfire on the Commonwealth with unintended consequences.
not just the black market
I bet unflavored vape juice sales will skyrocket. New thing is people will just mix their own flavors.
Also, how are they going to define "tobacco flavored"? Seems like there's quite a bit of wiggle room and people will push the boundaries...
Yay!
Hurray!
Psst
Hey, State Legislature, Thanksgiving is still seven days away. If you were trying to bury this, you failed.
Also, New Hampshire exists, you bunch of doddering (expletives) who are too stupid to make money in the private sector.
Too stupid?
Too stupid?
How much campaign contribution money got thrown around by both sides on this fight prior to this vote?
Look at the salaries, benefits, perks, and lifestyles of most of these corrupt slimes and ask yourself again if they're really that "stupid."
New Hampshire doesn't set the
New Hampshire doesn't set the regulatory ceiling for the entire region. The legislature knows that these products are still available elsewhere and made an informed decision that whatever loss of economic activity and tax revenue may result is worth the health benefits. Anybody who loves flavored tobacco enough to travel to NH to get it (like you, I assume) should feel free to do so.
And not everyone is obsessed with making money in the private sector. I've done it for years, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't make me a better or smarter person than anybody else.
NH and several....
... more states will be following MA’s lead soon.
NH keeps voting against pot,
NH keeps voting against pot, so I'm thinking you may be wrong.
Why?
Everyone smokes pot. Can we just legalize federally already?
Does it include cigars?
Does it include cigars? PARODI AVANTI ANISETTE CIGARS
grape blunt wraps?
asking for a friend...
Dumb
The "Oh the children" blathering when you need to be 18+ to buy tobacco products is so stupid. Is flavored alcohol and food next on the ban list?
It's weird that after all
It's weird that after all these years, it only took a scandal involving tainted vaping fluid to get a ban on menthol flavored cigarettes.
Does this include Tomacco?
Does this include Tomacco?
don't understand Charlie Baker
Like, I honestly do not understand him or the contingent of voters who vote for him. Is it just Democrats who don't like hippies voting for him? Is it ACTUAL knuckle-dragging republicans? If so why would THEY vote for him? He hasn't really done anything evil enough to appease conservatives. He is shuttering businesses and, if he signs this law, tossing tax revenue FROM MOSTLY THE POORS out the window. Aren't these GOP blowhards supposed to be good at money or something? It just....it boggles my mind.
Nanny State
They should ban matches and lighters next.
Nanny chusetts
Never met a regulation they didn't like
Why just flavored tobacco,
Why just flavored tobacco? just ban all that shit. Lung cancer coffin nails
thats what I am saying
if its so bad for us all around, just get rid of it all.
Lots of things could be banned
But is that the job of the government or the individual?
Big Macs? Motorcycles?
Gin? Jelly Doughnuts?
Poor argument. Most things
Poor argument. Most things can be enjoyed in moderation. Cigarettes are just plain shit for you
Lots of things are shit for you
But an Adult who wants to smoke a pack of Newport's should not have to drive to another State to purchase them.
Gambling is shit for you but the State operates the lottery, they don't mind being involved in taking money from those who can't afford it, as long as they aren't smoking menthol's I guess.
Is there a nicotine addiction
Is there a nicotine addiction group ? Maybe helps you cut down to 1 a day?
/snark
Yes. It is the job of the
Yes. It is the job of the government.
I disagree
The Government is not our babysitters.
Most people shrug because we don't smoke and it makes no difference in our lives, but when the government starts banning things which do , they will sing a different tune.
People are going to smoke,drink, gamble and do other things which are not beneficial to their lives, our government can't be involved in one vice while trying to ban another, its hypocritical.
Regulate it,tax it, inform the public of the dangers, but banning doesnt work.
Taxes and donations
The state of Massachusetts levies $3.51 excise tax on a pack of cigarettes (on top of a $1.01 federal excise tax), and all of that tobacco revenue (at last count, over $900 million a year) goes to the general fund.
Also, tobacco companies lobby fiercely and donate lavishly to the politicians (not just in our state, but nationwide) to keep their products on the markets.
That's why you won't see cigarettes in particular and tobacco in general banned in America, or any state, any time soon.
The flavor ban will reduce tax revenue
The net outcome of the increased revenue on vapes (75% excise tax) and the decreased tax revenue on cigarettes (menthol ban) is a net reduction in tax revenue from tobacco taxes.
Hit the nail
on the head. Massachusetts policy is about how to re-brand the neoliberal machine as progressivism and innovation. Lung disease surely generates a ton of revenue for the medical institutions around here as well. Always comforting to remember that, in a state where the largest employer is a healthcare conglomerate, illness is more profitable than health.
Future addicts vs. current addicts
Banning flavors will prevent many people from becoming nicotine addicts.
Current addicts are already a lost cause. But at least going forward, fewer dumb kids will get hooked on nicotine by strawberry flavoring.
I don’t do dip
But does this apply to flavored snuff?
Yes.
All flavors for all tobacco products -- cigars, cigarettes, snus, dip, chew, and e-cigs.
Why all the shock?
Why all the shock?
1. A new tobacco-like product comes out in fruity, candy kiddie flavors.
2. Kids buy them.
3. The products cause sickness and death at a rate much higher than regular tobacco.
4. They get banned.
You can not like it, or say it should be done differently, but this series of events looks pretty logical.