APPROVED CHAPTER
JULY 7, 2025 493
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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H.P. 99 - L.D. 166
An Act to Prohibit the Sale of Tobacco Products in Pharmacies and Retail
Establishments Containing Pharmacies
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1551, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6. Pharmacy. "Pharmacy" means a retail pharmacy as defined in Title 24-A, section
4347, subsection 19.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §1551-A, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6. Pharmacies and retail establishments with a pharmacy ineligible for retail
tobacco license; civil penalty; transfer of funds. This subsection governs pharmacies
and retail establishments containing a pharmacy.
A. A pharmacy is ineligible for a retail tobacco license. A pharmacy that engages in
retail sales, including retail sales through vending machines or in free distribution of
tobacco products, and sells, keeps for sale or gives away in the course of trade any
tobacco products to anyone commits a civil violation for which a fine of not more than
$2,000 may be adjudged. Each day a pharmacy is in violation of this paragraph
constitutes a separate offense.
B. A retail establishment containing a pharmacy is ineligible for a retail tobacco
license. A retail establishment containing a pharmacy that engages in retail sales,
including retail sales through vending machines or in free distribution of tobacco
products, and sells, keeps for sale or gives away in the course of trade any tobacco
products to anyone commits a civil violation for which a fine of not more than $2,000
may be adjudged. Each day a retail establishment containing a pharmacy is in violation
of this paragraph constitutes a separate offense.
Sec. 3. 36 MRSA §4366-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2025, c. 388, Pt. E, §4 and
affected by §6, is further amended to read:
2. Provided to sellers. The State Tax Assessor shall provide stamps to a licensed
distributor upon submission by the licensed distributor of a cigarette tax return in a form
prescribed by the assessor. The stamps must be of a design suitable to be affixed to
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packages of cigarettes as evidence of the payment of the tax imposed by this chapter. The
assessor may permit a licensed distributor to pay for the stamps within 30 days after the
date of purchase, if a bond satisfactory to the assessor in an amount not less than 50% of
the sale price of the stamps has been filed with the assessor conditioned upon payment for
the stamps. Such a distributor may continue to purchase stamps on a 30-day deferral basis
only if it remains current with its cigarette tax obligations. The assessor may not sell
additional stamps to a distributor that has failed to pay in full within 30 days for stamps
previously purchased until such time as the overdue payment is received. The assessor
shall sell cigarette stamps to licensed distributors at the following discounts from their face
value:
D. For stamps at the face value of 175 mills, the discount rate is 0.66%.
Sec. 4. Effective date. This Act takes effect April 1, 2026.
Page 2 - 132LR0009(07)
Statutes affected: Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 493: 36.4366