The New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association has announced its disappointment that the FDA denied it participation in a two-day stakeholder listening session, held June 13 and 15.
As a trade organization representing convenience retailers throughout New England, the association stated that it was prepared to share its real-world knowledge about the economic impact the Massachusetts flavored tobacco ban has had on convenience retailers and how the illicit market for these products has since flourished.
“It is disappointing the FDA chose not to grant five minutes to the one trade association in the U.S. with first-hand knowledge of a statewide flavored-tobacco ban,” said Jonathan Shaer, NECSEMA executive director.
“We were prepared to educate the FDA on the consequences here in Massachusetts so that it would be best informed with how to proceed with its proposed rulemaking on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, but it chose not to grant us audience.”
The Massachusetts ban on flavored tobacco products resulted in a menthol cigarette excise tax revenue loss of nearly $127 million to the Commonwealth in the 12-months following the ban. Evidenced by sales data, nearly 90 percent of those sales migrated to New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
NECSEMA will file comments to the FDA sharing its perspective on why this national ban would have unintended negative consequences and is a misguided policy.
NECSEMA is a non-profit trade association for the convenience store and transportation fuels industries. Its members serve every community across New England by retailing and wholesaling the products and services its customers when needed most.
For more information, visit necsema.net.
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