Massachusetts lawmakers sign off on the toughest vaping bill in the US in a move to ban flavored, mint and menthol e-cigs AND cigarettes as New York City enacts amid mounting death toll
The bill would also place a 75 percent excise tax on vaping products and require health insurers, including the state´s Medicaid program, to cover tobacco cessation counseling.
'This nation-leading step will save lives,' Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo said.
The ban was passed by the Senate early Thursday before the legislature broke for a holiday recess. It had earlier been passed by the state House of Representatives and now goes to the desk of Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
Meanwhile, New York City on Thursday became the latest city to ban flavored e-cigarettes despite industry lobbbyists' outcry, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the death
Baker hasn't indicated whether or when he will sign the ban, but its chances are good.
In September, he had declared a public health emergency and ordered a temporary ban on the sale of vaping products.
The legislation responds to growing concern about the health effects of vaping products, including deaths.
US VAPING DEATH TOLL MOUNTS
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that vaping-related deaths have risen to 47.
The five-person increase over last week marks a slow down in fatalities, but the battle against the disease officials call 'EVALI' is far from over.
As of November 21, 2,290 Americans are sick from vaping, with illnesses reported in every state but Alaska.
The vast majority - 77 percent - of victims are under 35, and 15 percent are under 18, making them too young to even legally buy e-cigarettes.
Deaths have been reported in 25 states and Washington.
There have been deaths in: Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (5), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Louisiana, Massachusetts (3), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York (2), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
It is the first such statewide legislation in the country, according to Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
'This legislation is a critical step to help end the worsening youth e-cigarette epidemic and stop tobacco companies from using appealing flavors to lure kids into a lifetime of addiction,' he said in a written statement.
'It would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products.'
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network also called it first-in-the-nation legislation.
'More than 80 percent of teens who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored product, and the tobacco industry knows this,' the organization said in an emailed statement.
A major retailers' organization called the legislation disappointing.
'We are disappointed the legislature supports bills that disproportionately impact communities of color and have disastrous implications for public health, public safety, state tax revenue and jobs in the Commonwealth,' Jonathan Shaer, president of the New England Convenience Store Owners and Energy Marketers Association said in a statement.
He called menthol and mint tobacco as 'legal, adult products that aren't associated with youth overuse.'
Yet, earlier this month, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study found that mint was among the most popular e-cigarette flavors used by high school and middle school students in the US.
The CDC announced on Thursday that 2,290 people have fallen ill in every state but Alaska and 47 people have died in 25 states (red) due to mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping
Experts have long suspected that sweet flavors create a lower barrier to entry for young people to start vaping or smoking because they are more drawn to these than the harsh flavor of tobacco.
In response to the FDA study, experts warned that the an on flavored vapes that the Trump administration had then been considering was likely to fail unless it included mint and menthol products.
Juul - the brand preferred by the majority of teenagers, according to the FDA study - quickly pulled its mint flavored pods from stores and online shops.
If Massachusetts's ban does go into effect, all vape shops and online stores that want to sell there will have to follow suit.
Meanwhile, the American Medical Association has called for a ban on all vaping products.
- The Massachusetts State Senate has green-lighted a bill that would outlaw the sale of all flavored tobacco products
- Governor Charlie Baker has not said whether or not he will sign it into law, but is expected to
- In September, Baker declared a public health emergency and temporarily banned the sale of all vaping products in the state
- Vaping-related illnesses have killed three people in Massachusetts and 47 nationwide, the CDC said Thursday
- Despite industry outcry, a New York City council voted on Thursday to the sale of flavored e-cigarette products
The bill would also place a 75 percent excise tax on vaping products and require health insurers, including the state´s Medicaid program, to cover tobacco cessation counseling.
'This nation-leading step will save lives,' Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo said.
The ban was passed by the Senate early Thursday before the legislature broke for a holiday recess. It had earlier been passed by the state House of Representatives and now goes to the desk of Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
Meanwhile, New York City on Thursday became the latest city to ban flavored e-cigarettes despite industry lobbbyists' outcry, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the death
Baker hasn't indicated whether or when he will sign the ban, but its chances are good.
In September, he had declared a public health emergency and ordered a temporary ban on the sale of vaping products.
The legislation responds to growing concern about the health effects of vaping products, including deaths.
US VAPING DEATH TOLL MOUNTS
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that vaping-related deaths have risen to 47.
The five-person increase over last week marks a slow down in fatalities, but the battle against the disease officials call 'EVALI' is far from over.
As of November 21, 2,290 Americans are sick from vaping, with illnesses reported in every state but Alaska.
The vast majority - 77 percent - of victims are under 35, and 15 percent are under 18, making them too young to even legally buy e-cigarettes.
Deaths have been reported in 25 states and Washington.
There have been deaths in: Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (5), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Louisiana, Massachusetts (3), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York (2), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
It is the first such statewide legislation in the country, according to Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
'This legislation is a critical step to help end the worsening youth e-cigarette epidemic and stop tobacco companies from using appealing flavors to lure kids into a lifetime of addiction,' he said in a written statement.
'It would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products.'
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network also called it first-in-the-nation legislation.
'More than 80 percent of teens who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored product, and the tobacco industry knows this,' the organization said in an emailed statement.
A major retailers' organization called the legislation disappointing.
'We are disappointed the legislature supports bills that disproportionately impact communities of color and have disastrous implications for public health, public safety, state tax revenue and jobs in the Commonwealth,' Jonathan Shaer, president of the New England Convenience Store Owners and Energy Marketers Association said in a statement.
He called menthol and mint tobacco as 'legal, adult products that aren't associated with youth overuse.'
Yet, earlier this month, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study found that mint was among the most popular e-cigarette flavors used by high school and middle school students in the US.
The CDC announced on Thursday that 2,290 people have fallen ill in every state but Alaska and 47 people have died in 25 states (red) due to mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping
Experts have long suspected that sweet flavors create a lower barrier to entry for young people to start vaping or smoking because they are more drawn to these than the harsh flavor of tobacco.
In response to the FDA study, experts warned that the an on flavored vapes that the Trump administration had then been considering was likely to fail unless it included mint and menthol products.
Juul - the brand preferred by the majority of teenagers, according to the FDA study - quickly pulled its mint flavored pods from stores and online shops.
If Massachusetts's ban does go into effect, all vape shops and online stores that want to sell there will have to follow suit.
Meanwhile, the American Medical Association has called for a ban on all vaping products.
Time to stock up on coils and juice.....
