Advocates Want E-Cigarette Bills To Be Stronger

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A package of tobacco regulation bills is headed to the Michigan House, and some health organizations are concerned that it doesn’t go far enough to protect children. Senate Bills 781 and 786 passed the Senate last week, and include new regulations on the sale of e-cigarettes. Andrew Schepers with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Michigan says they’re especially troubled by SB 781, which sets a tax rate for vaping products at 18%. He contends all e-cigarettes should be defined as a tobacco product and taxed at the same 32% rate.

“When we do that, there’s no winners and losers; at the end of the day there’s no cheaper product for somebody to buy to go ahead and use. They’re all going to have the same tax liability and so they’re all going to have the same good public health effect in terms of driving people away from using tobacco.”

The sponsors of the bills said they worked with industry members on the proposals, and noted establishing tax policy for vaping products is a gray area. Nationally, e-cigarette use rose 78% among high school students from 2017 to 2018, and Michigan has mirrored the same trend.