Proposed tax on nicotine pouches would set back R.I. public health efforts

Proposed tax on nicotine pouches would set back R.I. public health efforts

Many adult smokers use tobacco-free nicotine pouches to stop smoking. So why subject them to a new tax when lawmakers could be making it easier — not more difficult — to access products that help them improve their health? (Getty Photo)Rhode Island lawmakers have slipped a new tax into the state’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget that could hurt people struggling with addiction and set back public health efforts in the state. The proposal would insti…