The Vermont House gave preliminary approval to a tax Wednesday that would nearly double the cost of electronic cigarettes.
Supporters say the tax will reduce the use of a dangerous product. Opponents called the measure misguided because they said some people successfully quit smoking cigarettes by using e-cigarettes as a substitute way to get nicotine.
The vote was 83 to 54. A final vote by the House is expected Thursday.
Rep. George Till, D-Jericho, a co-sponsor, said the bill, H.879, was an important public health measure.
“We just cannot continue to let our health care costs explode like this. We spent $87 million last year on Medicaid money on smoking-related illnesses,” said Till, a doctor who lost both of his parents to emphysema.
“We can’t afford to not get in the game of prevention,” he said.
Under the measure, a 92 percent tax would be imposed on e-cigarettes and associated products, including vaporizers, raising an estimated $500,000 a year. That money would be dedicated to reducing the assessment placed on employers that do not provide health insurance.
The tax bill came up after the Legislative crossover deadline, so it’s not clear if the Senate will address it, or whether it will be attached to another bill already sent over by the Senate.
Till faced serious questioning by skeptical House members, including an effort to send the bill for further study by the House Human Services Committee. That effort failed 83 to 56.
Rep. Ron Hubert, R-Milton, worried that lawmakers were going down a slippery slope.
“When does it end? Is it Wrigley’s next because their gum causes cavities?” Hubert said. “I don’t understand it.”
Much of the debate hinged on whether lawmakers believed e-cigarettes are unhealthy or a practical way, like nicotine patches and gum, to stop smoking cigarettes.
Till said an e-cigarette user consumes in an average day the same amount of formaldehyde found in five packs of cigarettes. He said the devices have been in use for only the past 10 years and there is not enough scientific data to show they are safe.
“These things are very clearly more about getting kids addicted to nicotine than they are about stopping smoking,” Till said after the vote.
During the debate, Rep. Paul Dame, R-Essex Junction, said e-cigarettes are a legitimate way to stop smoking cigarettes.
“When people are vaping, they’re not smoking,” Dame said, noting the House Human Services Committee on which he serves heard testimony from people in their 30s and 40s who were finally able to quit smoking using e-cigarettes as a nicotine replacement.
The House has already passed a measure to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in the same places as regular tobacco, including restaurants and other public places. Retailers would also have to remove e-cigarettes from display counters. That measure is under review by a Senate committee.
Separately, Till has been leading an effort to raise the smoking age in Vermont from 18 to 21. An effort earlier in the session failed on a 71-71 tie, but the request was attached to another bill, which is expected to be debated this week.
