AUGUSTA (AP) – As a legislator moved to outlaw the sale of bottled water laced with nicotine, Maine distributors of the product said they are removing the product from store shelves.

A bill introduced Thursday by Sen. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, took aim at Nico Water, which is sold in half-liter bottles containing 4 mg of nicotine, an amount equal in punch to two cigarettes.

That same day, Brooks Pharmacy, based in Warwick, R.I., said it would no longer be selling Nico Water.

“There’s just too many questions being asked. We don’t need to create any confusion in our stores. We have very simple stores with nice products and we don’t want any controversy,” said Bill Welsh, the drug chain’s executive director.

Martin said that when the Legislature is moving to restrict smoking, the threat posed by Nico Water is too great to ignore.

But California-based Quick Test Five Inc., the company that manufactures Nico Water, said the product is only intended to relieve the cravings experienced by tobacco users. Company president Steve Reder says new laws that ban smoking from bars and other establishments underscore the need for such a nicotine substitute.

Martin said his interest in the issue was prompted by a newspaper ad.

“It was in the sports section and said, “Attention Adult Smokers: Quench Your Cravings! When You Cannot Or Should Not Smoke, Grab A Bottle of Nico Water,”‘ Martin said. “I’ve never seen anything so ridiculous in my life.”

Martin said the threat Nico Water poses to the public in general and to children in particular is too great to ignore. The senator said that after the Food and Drug Administration ruled that QT 5 could not market its product as a dietary supplement, the company changed it strategy to market it as a homeopathic supplement.

“Nico Water is just the latest attempt by the tobacco industry to keep people hooked on smoking and tobacco products,” Martin said. “The fact is Nico Water has no positive health benefits. Moreover Nico Water actually has the effect of keeping the nicotine-addiction craving high for thousands of Maine people and millions of Americans.”

Reder challenged Martin’s dismissal of the product.

“Maine now has extended its ban on smoking,” Reder said. “The Legislature can tell people not to smoke around others and to get away from the secondhand smoke, which we all agree with, but you can’t tell a smoker to stop. So you go ahead and allow them to function without going crazy. The biggest thing is to give them satisfaction on something. This is a better alternative than anything out in the marketplace.”

AP-ES-06-06-03 0940EDT

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