1. United States
2. Miss.
3. Letter

It is concerning that Mississippi's House Bill 916 aims to prohibit the sale of flavored vaping products, which would severely impact small, independently-owned vape shops across the state. These businesses provide important harm reduction products and services to adult smokers looking for alternatives to combustible cigarettes. Banning flavored vaping products will likely drive many vapers back to deadly combustible cigarettes and shutter numerous small businesses that are pillars of their local communities. We urge opposition to this misguided legislation that will do more harm than good. Instead of blanket prohibition, a more balanced regulatory approach is needed that preserves access to flavored vaping products for adults while preventing youth access. Small businesses should not be punished for providing adult smokers with potentially lifesaving alternatives to cigarettes. Please reconsider this harmful overreach that will endanger public health and economic opportunity in our state.