The Impact of New Jersey's 2020 E-cigarette Flavor Ban on E-cigarette, Cigarette, and Cigar Sales in New Jersey.

This article examines the impact of New Jersey’s 2020 statewide ban on flavored e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol, by analyzing biweekly sales data from convenience stores between August 2019 and December 2020. Following the ban’s implementation on April 20, 2020, sales of flavored e-cigarettes significantly declined, while sales of unflavored e-cigarettes increased, resulting in little change to overall e-cigarette sales. Cigarette and cigar sales showed a brief increase immediately after the ban, potentially influenced by concurrent COVID-19 restrictions, but no sustained significant changes were observed. The findings suggest that comprehensive flavored e-cigarette restrictions can reduce flavored product availability without substantially increasing sales of combustible tobacco products, though ongoing research is needed to assess long-term effects on consumer behavior.