Governor

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Proposes Banning Flavored E-Cigarettes Amid ‘Public Health Phenomenon'

What to Know

  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a plan to combat, what he calls a "frightening public health phenomenon"
  • He says there’s not enough info about what’s in e-cigs at a time when alarming number of people are getting sick and even dying from vaping
  • Cuomo’s plan of action includes proposed legislation to ban flavored e-cigs because he says it specifically targets sales to young people

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a plan to combat, what he calls a "frightening public health phenomenon" -- a plan he hopes will protect New Yorkers from what he deems as “harmful and addictive” vaping products and vaping-related illnesses.

He says there’s not enough information about what’s in e-cigarettes at a time when an alarming number of people are getting sick and even dying from vaping.

Cuomo said people should not be using vaping products or e-cigarettes at all. 

"Common sense says if you do not know what you are smoking, don't smoke it, and right now we don't know what you are smoking in a lot of these vaping substances," Cuomo said in a statement.

"The rise in vaping-associated illnesses is a frightening public health phenomenon and I am directing the Department of Health to take several actions to address this crisis, including starting an investigation into some of these companies that produce vaping substances to find out what's in it and requiring that smoke and vape shops post a warning that lets people know that this is a risky activity," Cuomo's statement went on to say.

In an effort to curtail the use of vaping, Cuomo ordered the state’s Department of Health to start an investigation into e-cigarette companies and their products. Additionally, he directed the Department of Health to require shops to post warnings on vaping products the dangers of vaping.

Cuomo’s plan of action also includes a proposed legislation that will ban flavored e-cigarettes because he says it specifically targets sales to young people.

According to Department of Health data, nearly 40 percent of 12th grade students and 27 percent of high school students in New York State are now using e-cigarettes, and this increase is largely driven by flavored e-liquids.

The CDC said last week that the number of vaping-related illnesses jumped to at least 450 in 33 states including 41 in New York State.

At least five deaths have been reported.

The illnesses in New York State have been linked to black market e-cigarettes.

In a statement, the state’s Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said: "The current outbreak of vaping-associated illnesses and the increasing number of young people using vape products and developing lifelong addictions are two serious public health crises. I applaud Governor Cuomo for taking swift and aggressive action to crack down on those seeking to profit at the expense of people's health."

For now, the proposed ban is for flavored vaping products, but Cuomo says he hasn’t rule out trying to ban all e-cigarettes depending on what the Department of Health finds out in its investigation.

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