Flavor Ban Voices

What retailers and store owners are saying about the FDA’s proposed ban

"Revenue from tobacco sales helps keep my store in business and also generates significant tax revenue at the federal, state and local levels. This ban would not only impact my bottom line but also impact government programs that depend on the billions in tax revenue that result from these legal sales."
Devang Mehta
Country Farms, Iselin, NJ
"This ban is another example of government overreach and is effectively telling adults they don’t have the right to make their own choices."
Jamie Mays
River City Perk, Washington, WV
"This ban will drive even more people to purchase tobacco on the illicit market, hurting local retailers like me and emboldening the criminal gangs who engage in cigarette smuggling."
Rami Daraghma
LL Drive Thru, Akron, OH
"Stores like mine employ local residents, and our ability to keep our employees working and serve all our customers – including those who do not purchase tobacco – will be negatively impacted by the federal flavor ban."
Kanay Shah
Sunrise Food Mart #146, Kissimmee, FL
"Local retailers are committed to enforcing the law when it comes to verifying that all tobacco buyers are 21 or older. The criminals who sell illegal cigarettes cannot be counted on to enforce age of purchase laws and will sell to anyone, including kids, if they have money."
Jay Joshi
Love Food Mart 11, Virginia Beach, VA
"Neighborhood stores have suffered from the Covid pandemic and runaway inflation. This ban is another threat to the livelihood of my business and the jobs of my employees."
Billy Yasin
Dave’s Place, Lewiston, ME
"This ban will require law enforcement to spend more time stopping illicit tobacco sales, meaning they will be burdened even more and have fewer resources to fight our ongoing crime problem."
Rafiq Lalani
BP Food Mart, Hampton, GA
"Tobacco sales are a significant source of revenue for neighborhood stores like mine. This ban puts my business, and those of local retailers across the country, at risk of closing."
Jay Long
Stop Shop, Greenville, NC
"This ban will lead to more illicit sales, erode the trust of law enforcement, and lead to increased crime, especially in poorer neighborhoods and communities of color."
Kash Patel
Nixville Country Store, Estill, SC
"This ban will not stop people from finding a way to buy these products somewhere else. It will hurt our store and the community we serve by increasing smuggling and slashing the tax revenue we generate from legal tobacco sales."
Tammy Baker
Sage Food Mart, Houston, TX
Prohibition has never worked. It didn’t work for alcohol or marijuana, and it won’t work now.
Rani Sweis
Big Bear Tobacco , Phoenix, AZ
The FDA’s prohibition of flavored cigarettes and cigars will be a disaster for my store, my community, and retailers all across the country.
Jatinder Neigah
The Best Smoke Shop, Las Vegas, NV
Prohibition has never worked. It didn’t work for alcohol or marijuana, and it won’t work now.
Brian Kahler
Brian's 76,Kalispell, MT
Crime is already out of control, and the FDA’s prohibition will make things worse since it will divert police resources away from serious crimes while they attempt to enforce the ban on flavored tobacco.
Rob Toma
Wes Fuel Inc,White Lake, MI
The FDA’s prohibition will remove the strict controls that currently exist throughout the legal and regulated supply chain and put criminals in charge.
Mita Parmar
Kesar,Dillsburg, PA

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