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Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an "emergency executive action" on Sunday, Sept. 15, that bans the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the state. It went into effect Tuesday, Sept. 17.
The order will advance legislation aiming to eliminate "deceptive marketing practices of e-cigarettes to underage users and raises the purchasing age of e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 years old," Cuomo's office said in a statement.
Michigan issued a similar ban month earlier in the month.
According to state 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. High school use in 2018 (27.4 percent) was 160 percent higher than it was in 2014 (10.5 percent).
"E-cigarettes have been implicated as a key indicator in the upward trend of the use of tobacco products among youths in recent years," New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said. "These regulations will help curb this dangerous trend and will further safeguard the health of all New Yorkers, especially among underage youths."
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its Emergency Operations Center to help investigate the growing number of cases of lung injury associated with vaping.
Currently, there are 380 cases of lung illness reported from 36 states and 1 U.S. territory. All reported cases have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping.
The latest confirmed vaping-related fatality occurred in California.
Most patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC or a combination of THC and nicotine.
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