Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
On behalf of the Maine Energy Marketers Association (MEMA), I strongly encourage the Bangor City Council to reject the well-meaning but short-sighted proposal from the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights, which would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products by Bangor retail establishments.
MEMA is a trade association composed of approximately 300-member companies, including 70 percent of Maine’s 1,300 convenience stores – small businesses that sell more than 1 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel each year and employ approximately 10,000 Mainers who, for the last 18 months, have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic providing the citizens of Bangor and our state with essential goods and services during these unprecedented times.
While on the surface the “Flavor Ban” may sound like good policy, history tells a very different story. A century ago, “Prohibition” failed as illegal alcohol sales flourished and ultimately led to the repeal of the 18 th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Today, with the legalization of marijuana, we have seen first-hand that prohibition of these products for people over 21 does not work.
The proposal before the council would cause great harm to these retailers who struggle daily to comply with existing regulations, find employees and deal with the devastating effects of the pandemic. The men and women who own and operate these important businesses depend on these sales to create regular traffic in their establishments and go to great efforts to ensure that tobacco products do not get into the hands of underaged customers.
Again, on behalf of MEMA, I respectfully urge the Bangor City Council to vote against this proposal.
Megan Diver
Vice President
Maine Energy Marketers Association
Brunswick
Election notice: The BDN will stop accepting letters and columns related to the Nov. 2 election on Monday, Oct. 25. Not all submissions can be published.