New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an Emergency Executive Order on Sunday, banning the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes in the state.
The New York Governor’s Office said the decree was aimed at eliminating fraudulent e-cigarette marketing practices against minor users and raising the purchase age of e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 before the enactment of relevant legislation.
“E-cigarettes are dangerous. They make millions of young people addicted at an early age,” Cuomo said at a news conference.
A spokesman for Cuomo, Jason Conwall, said the ban was aimed at reducing the use of electronic cigarettes by young people and would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes with mango, bubblegum and marshmallow flavors. The popular MINT (cold mint) e-cigarettes among young people will also be included. However, menthol and traditional tobacco-flavored electronic cigarettes, mainly used by adults, are not prohibited.
More than 30 states in the United States have found nearly 500 cases of respiratory diseases related to electronic cigarettes, with at least six deaths. Health officials have not yet determined whether the exact cause of these diseases is a specific product. Earlier this month, Michigan became the first state to ban electronic cigarettes. Several other states, including California and Massachusetts, are considering similar initiatives.
Last week, the White House proposed a national ban, saying that President Trump would introduce specific legislation in a few weeks to reduce young people’s consumption of flavored e-cigarettes.
