NEW YORK: New York has banned flavored e-cigarettes after its Democratic governor called for emergency action in response to concerns about their rising use among teens and a nationwide spate of lung illnesses.
New York is the second state in the nation to introduce such a ban after Michigan did so earlier this month.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday called for an urgent meeting of the state’s Public Health and Health Planning Council to consider the proposed ban.
The panel voted to adopt the prohibition, which applies to all flavored e-cigarettes besides menthol, Cuomo’s office said in a statement.
The state Department of Health pledged to provide retailers with a two-week grace period before conducting site visits to enforce the ban starting on Oct. 7.
“It is undeniable that vaping companies are deliberately using flavors like bubblegum, Captain Crunch and cotton candy to get young people hooked on e-cigarettes – it’s a public health crisis and it ends today,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Nearly 400 people around the country have been stricken with a lung illness that is potentially vaping-related, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Agencies)
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