Nebraska Legislator Proposes Ban on Flavored Vape Products
A Nebraska state senator has introduced a bill that would ban flavored vape products in an effort to reduce the number of young people using electronic nicotine delivery systems. Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings, a retired public school teacher and coach now in his first year at the Legislature, presented the bill (LB285) to the General Affairs Committee on Monday.
The proposed legislation would prohibit vape products that taste or smell like fruit, mint, candy, or other flavors that appeal to youth from appearing on store shelves. However, the bill would still allow vape shops to sell products flavored with tobacco or menthol, mirroring policies in other states.
Lonowski emphasized the need to address the youth vaping epidemic in Nebraska and beyond, stating, “Every fifth grader knows someone in their class that is vaping.” He cited statistics showing that 1.6 million students across the U.S. reported having used a vape product last year, with 90% of those users preferring flavors like “tootie fruity,” “mango ice,” and “rainbow candy.”
The bill garnered support from anti-smoking groups who argued that the flavored products are designed to attract young people. Brandon Koehler of the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition noted that while vaping products have been used to help smokers quit cigarettes, the non-tobacco flavors have drawn more youth into using e-cigarettes.
Mark Welsch, president of the Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution (GASP), expressed his preference for a full ban on vape products but supported any steps toward preventing youth from starting to use electronic nicotine delivery systems.
Vape shop owners and advocates testified in opposition to the bill, arguing that a widespread ban would amount to government overreach, limit consumers’ choices, and harm small businesses. Sarah Linden, owner of Generation V, a specialty vape retailer with 28 stores nationwide, said that 99% of her company’s products would be directly affected by LB285, forcing her to close all stores and lay off 135 employees in Nebraska.
Both Linden and Joseph Fraas, owner of G&G Smoke Shop in Lincoln and Omaha, warned that a Nebraska-based ban would push sales to out-of-state vendors, vape websites, and underground sellers. Fraas also pointed out that vaping was already on the decline among youth, attributing this trend to better education about the potential impacts of these products.
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