Bar Harbor Town Council to vote on banning the sale of flavored tobacco products

BAR HARBOR, Maine (WABI) - The Bar Harbor Town Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday night (March 7) to hear comment on a proposed new town ordinance that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

If the ordinance to ban the sale of flavored tobacco passes in Bar Harbor, it will mean the end of the sale of any tobacco products with fruit, menthol, mint, chocolate and other flavors.

Flavored tobacco is often associated with vaping, but the ordinance would ban the sale all flavored tobacco products.

“We sell more the menthol type cigarettes and stuff like that,” said Steamboat Landing Manager David Boone. “That’s what we sell. More than the vapes and stuff, to be honest with you. And the chew. We sell a lot of chew as well. "

A vote to pass the ordinance would make Bar Harbor the fifth community in Maine to ban flavored tobacco less than three months after South Portland voted to do the same, joining Bangor, Brunswick, and Portland.

There are only a few merchants in Bar Harbor that sell flavored tobacco, and Boone says he expects the ordinance to have little impact on business as a whole.

“People that have smoked Newports for thirty years, they’re going to continue to smoke them even if they have to drive five minutes across the road,” Boone said. “We’re going to do whatever the town wants us to do to help out with potentially stopping kids from smoking these things, and hopefully that does work. The greater good is what we’re looking for at the end of the day.”

Tuesday’s hearing will start at 6:30 p.m. in the in the Municipal Building Council Chambers.