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On Thursday, Sept. 12, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill which requires schools to include vaping as part of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program, a current program aimed at cutting down on teen smoking rates.
In addition, Cuomo also signed an executive order that requires vaping to be included in all the state's anti-tobacco campaigns.
"After raising the smoking age to 21 to protect young people from the costly and deadly addiction to nicotine, we are doubling down on our mission to protect the public health and keep our children safe from the dangers of e-cigarettes - which have unfortunately become common alternatives to regular cigarettes," Cuomo said.
The order comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning against using any vaping materials following the deaths of six people and hundreds of other sickened from vaping.
In connection with the spreading "vaping-related" illness spreading across the country, Cuomo directed the Department of Health to issue subpoenas to companies marketing and selling "thickening agents" used in black market vaping products and to issue emergency regulations mandating that warning signs must be posted in all vape and smoke shops in New York State.
According to Department of Health data, the increase in teen and student vaping is largely driven by flavored e-liquids.
People sick with the lung illness associated with vaping reported a variety of symptoms including pulmonary symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, chest pain), gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), fatigue, fever, headache, and weight loss.
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