Effective Sept. 17, cotton candy, honey, and fruit flavored e-cigarettes are now banned from being sold in New York, for 90 days.
The ban is in response to the rising number of students vaping in high school, and over 300 cases of lung illnesses including six deaths believed to be linked to vaping across the country. But the ban is being criticized for allowing menthol and tobacco flavors to be exempt from the order.
New York’s first-in-the-nation ban on flavored e-cigarettes is now in effect.
NY is not waiting for the federal government to act. We are helping prevent countless young people from forming costly and potentially deadly life-long habits. This public health crisis ends today.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 17, 2019
Fruit flavors are the number-one choice among high schoolers, according to Health and Human Services, with menthol flavor taking second place.
We spoke to a few people in New York City to listen to what they thought of the ban, which goes in effect in about two weeks.
“When I first heard about it, I thought to myself, ‘well, why aren’t we doing this with regular cigarettes?'” said Tiffany Mattson in an interview with NTD News. “What is the difference between the flavored stuff and regular?”
Andrew Valezquez, who is attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, said he thinks the ban may turn away new users, but not the long-term users.
“I personally don’t believe it’ll have too much of an effect. I think they’re gonna find a way around it. I also think that people aren’t too afraid to go after tobacco and menthol products,” he said.
Nav Dhaliwall said he used to vape to quit smoking cigarettes. It worked for him and he has stopped using tobacco products. He hopes the ban will help prevent access to vaping products by minors.
“I feel like those flavors—strawberry, raspberry—markets to kids too much,” he said.
The ban is not permanent, however. It is only a 90-day ban. Once that time is up—unless the order is renewed or they pass legislation and make the ban permanent—companies in New York will once again be allowed to continue to sell the flavored products.
