New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Sunday that he would use executive actions to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the state.
The ban would not include tobacco and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes. Cuomo also said he has directed the state’s law enforcement to crack down on retailers selling vaping products to underage people.
“New York is confronting this crisis head-on and today we are taking another nation-leading step to combat a public health emergency,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Manufacturers of fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes are intentionally and recklessly targeting young people, and today we’re taking action to put an end to it. At the same time, unscrupulous stores are knowingly selling vaping products to underage youth—those retailers are now on notice that we are ramping up enforcement and they will be caught and prosecuted.”
Cuomo said the ban would not include menthol flavors because data suggests that smokers of menthol cigarettes have used menthol e-cigarettes to quit. He added that the state could consider a menthol ban in the future.
The move from the New York governor comes as President Donald Trump’s administration said it was working on a plan to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also investigating a string of mysterious illnesses believed to be associated with some forms of vaping.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers in New Jersey are reportedly trying to ban the sale of all vaping and e-cigarettes products in phases, according to NorthJersey.com.
Michigan banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes last week.
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