Michigan has just become the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes
Michigan has just become the first state to temporarily ban flavored e-cigarettes. Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the ban is needed because e-cigarette companies use sweet flavors to hook young people on nicotine.
First reported by the Washington Post, the ban covers in-store and online sales. Businesses will have 30 days to comply.
"My number one priority is keeping our kids safe," Whitmer wrote in a tweet. "Right now, companies selling vaping products are using candy flavors to hook children on nicotine and misleading claims to promote the belief that these products are safe. That ends today."
CBS affiliate WWT reports the ban will last for six months while state lawmakers work on a permanent bill. Tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes would not be covered in the order.
Whitmer is also targeting language used to market vaping products, including words like "clear," "safe" and "healthy."
The ban also comes as reports of serious lung disease linked to vaping have emerged throughout the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating at least 215 cases of illnesses that have left some patients on ventilators or with collapsed lungs. Two deaths have also been reported.
While Michigan is the first state to temporarily ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, several cities or states have already imposed restrictions on e-cigarette sales. This week, Arkansas, Texas and Vermont joined nine other states in enacting laws that raises the legal age to buy any tobacco product including e-cigarettes to 21. Five more states will have similar laws in effect by next year.
In June, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to approve a ban on the sale and distribution of all e-cigarettes. The restriction put San Francisco at odds with one of its most prominent hometown startups, Juul Labs.