Bill > A964

Introduced Session

This bill includes menthol and clove cigarettes in the current prohibition against the sale and distribution of flavored cigarettes. Current State law provides that no person may sell, offer for sale, distribute for commercial purpose at no cost or minimal cost or with coupons or rebate offers, give, or furnish to a person a cigarette that imparts a "characterizing flavor other than tobacco, clove or menthol." The ban applies to the cigarette, any smoke emanating from the cigarette, and any component part of the cigarette, including the tobacco, paper, roll or filter, or any other matter or substance that can be smoked. A series of monetary penalties and adverse licensure actions may be imposed for violations of the ban. The current State law was enacted in 2008; in 2009, a federal ban on the sale of flavored cigarettes was enacted and codified at 21 U.S.C.S. s.387g. The federal law includes clove flavorings in the ban, but provides an exception for tobacco and menthol flavors. This bill updates the current State law to reflect the federal ban on clove-flavored cigarettes, and additionally prohibits sales of menthol-flavored cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes are associated with increased health risks, increased addiction potential, increased difficulty quitting, increased rates of young people starting smoking and progressing to regular tobacco use, and disproportionately high use rates among young people, women, communities with lower socioeconomic status, and African American and other minority communities.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Herbert Conaway (D)*,  Shavonda Sumter (D)*,  Jamel Holley (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee (on 01/14/2020)

Official Document