As the child of a smoker, I know the destruction that smoking can cause. My father began smoking menthol cigarettes at 11 years old. He stopped when he experienced his first bout of laryngeal cancer in 1974, when I was 3 years old.

In 1996, my dad informed me he had a cancer recurrence, which was the reason for his increasingly hoarse voice, and that his voice box was being removed. Five years later, his advanced pancreatic cancer had few treatment options. Both cancers were directly related to smoking and likely worse because he was addicted so young.

The single reason tobacco companies add flavoring is to entice new users. The harshness and bitterness of tobacco are disguised with sweet and minty flavors, which are appealing to youth. We know most smokers start before their 18th birthday. This is a time when one’s brain is not fully developed, and, therefore, one is more prone to the dangerous combination of nicotine addiction and miscalculation of risk.

I’m thankful to my legislator, Rep. Sam Zager, for supporting a bill to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products. This means a lot to me, personally, and it will mean a lot to my young patients.

Despite stopping his tobacco use at the age of 34, my dad ultimately died from smoking. Flavored tobacco products are meant to hook kids, like my dad, and turn them into lifelong smokers. Let’s stop this deadly cycle and end the sale of flavored tobacco in Maine.

Jennifer Jewell, M.D.
Portland