Jonathan Shaer

Gov. Ned Lamont, along with the support of many in the legislature, wants to legalize adult-use marijuana and sports wagering, in his words “rather than surrender the market to other states or the black market.” But various flavored tobacco ban proposals making their way through the legislature would send menthol cigarettes, mint smokeless and vape into those same black markets. What gives?

Bridgeport is considering an ordinance that would ban the sale of all legal flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, by licensed retailers in the city. This is a dangerous, ill-conceived policy that has failed by every measure elsewhere.