The state of Massachusetts saw a 21,000% jump in illegal vape seizures last year, according to a new report, from the Massachusetts Multi-Agency Illegal Tobacco Task Force.
The report said that state police vape seizures increased from 1,326 units to 279,432 illegal products in 2024.
Peter Brennan, executive director of the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA), said in a statement that Massachusetts has created the setting for illegal smuggling.
“These numbers are absolutely staggering and prove what NECSEMA has warned from the start—Massachusetts has created the perfect environment for illegal smuggling,” said Brennan. “Our members are losing customers to the illicit market every day, and the state is bleeding tax revenue because criminals are filling the void created by excessive taxes and product bans.”
Smuggling of untaxed menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars and other banned products continues to thrive, driven by Massachusetts’ high-tax environment and strict prohibitions, said NECSEMA, which represents more than 7,000 convenience stores across New England.
“As a result, the Commonwealth has lost nearly $240 million in excise tax revenue since 2018 even as lawmakers consider new, broader-based taxes and fees on Bay Staters such as taxes on candy, cable boxes and a cap on the charitable giving deduction,” NECSEMA said.
Brennan said that the report is also clear evidence of just how misguided additional prohibitions would be. “Ideas like creating a so-called nicotine-free generation or limiting sales of nicotine products to adult-only stores will only make a bad situation worse—driving even more consumers to illegal sellers, costing even more tax revenue, and putting even more pressure on our small businesses,” he said.
The Massachusetts ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products went into effect on June 1, 2020.
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