LINCOLN- With the usage of e-cigarettes exploding among teens, Sen. Jana Hughes told the Legislature's Revenue Committee on Wednesday that it's time to implement a state excise tax on the products. "It's super addictive," she added, saying that people who claim they're less addictive than cigarettes are completely false.

Currently, Nebraska is one of 20 states that don't tax e-cigarettes, but Sen. Hughes LB584 may change that. The bill would impose an excise tax of 5 cents per millimeter of consumable vaping material, though Hughes expressed interest in amending the bill to tax a percentage of the price instead, like 20%.

A 2021 survey from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services found that e-cigarette use by teens in grades 9-12 increased from 9% in 2015, to 14% in 2021, and that the most popular flavors of vaping product are fruit, menthol, and mint. Similarly, use of e-cigarettes by adults is on the rise as well, with 3.8% of adults in Nebraska consuming the product in 2017, and 5.9% in 2020.

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