The ban on flavored e-cigarettes has caused controversy in Maine

The tobacco ban is divisive in the United States: it could lead to a setback in public health.

The ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products was held in the Brunswick Town Council on April 4. The meeting included the proposed decree on flavored electronic cigarette packs and mint cigarettes that had entered into force. The parliament may vote directly after a public hearing on the same day.

Many organizations support the measure and the proposed law, but researchers worry that the policy is incorrect. The promulgation of the ban on e-cigarettes may make more people switch from e-cigarettes to cigarettes, causing adverse effects on public health.

The results of the National Youth Tobacco Survey in 2021 show that 85% of high school students using e-cigarettes in the United States prefer seasoning products. Although it is illegal for people under the age of 21 to sell tobacco products, high school and junior high school students are exposed to tobacco products. The purpose of banning the sale of seasoning products is to protect children and minors.

But some researchers say the ban on e-cigarettes may pose a real hazard to public health. Reason: the taste ban may reduce the use of e-cigarettes by adults, but does this mean that more adults will continue to smoke? In the United States, an average of 480000 people die from smoking related diseases every year. Although the harm of e-cigarettes has not been confirmed yet, e-cigarettes are healthier than combustible cigarettes.

Since the popularity of e-cigarettes among high school students in 2014, the number of adolescent smokers has decreased at the fastest rate. The ban on e-cigarettes has kept people away from e-cigarettes, but has prompted people to use more dangerous combustible products. The science around e-cigarettes is still so new that the public health community is in trouble on several issues.

At the heart of the controversy is: should priority be given to keeping healthy teenagers away from nicotine or to helping  adults quit their most dangerous habits?