(HorizonPost.com) – Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott last Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the sale of menthol cigarettes, flavored e-liquid vaping products, and other flavored tobacco substitutes, the Newport Dispatch reported.
The bill, S.18, which is aimed at curbing the use of tobacco products among minors, would have also banned Zyn nicotine pouches, a product that does not contain tobacco or any known carcinogens.
In an April 3 letter explaining his veto to state lawmakers, the governor expressed concerns over inconsistencies between the legislation and the state’s position on similar products and suggested a more balanced approach.
The governor noted that he does not use tobacco products but stressed the importance of ensuring that adults who do have the freedom to make choices for themselves while at the same time protecting minors.
Governor Scott said he vetoed the bill not because of his personal views on the matter but due to the broader implications of the bill.
He explained that he agreed with the legislature that the state had an “obligation to protect our children” but said it must be done in a way that honored the “rights and freedoms of adults to make decisions about their individual lives.”
Governor Scott noted that the state legislature legalized the sale of cannabis, “including edibles and other flavored products” four years ago, even though studies have shown that cannabis poses “risks to youth and their developing brains.” He wrote that despite the “obvious appeal” and the risks to minors, he was not aware of any proposed legislation to ban cannabis products.
The governor also made similar arguments about the legal sale of flavored alcohol products in the state. He argued that it is due to contradictory policies like these that the people “lose faith in government.”
With the governor’s veto, the bill will head back to the state legislature.
The legislation passed the state Senate last year in an 18 to 11 vote. It passed the state House last month by a 20-vote margin, 83-53. However, the margins in both chambers fall short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto.
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