New York is the second state to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced an emergency executive action to fight youth vaping.
“New York is confronting this crisis head-on and … we are taking another nation-leading step to combat a public health emergency,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“Manufacturers of fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes are intentionally and recklessly targeting young people,” he continued, “and … we’re taking action to put an end to it.”
State Police and the Department of Health (DOH) have teamed up to conduct undercover investigations across the state: Anyone found selling tobacco and vaping products to underage shoppers will face criminal and civil penalties.
“Unscrupulous stores are knowingly selling vaping products to underage youth,” Cuomo said. “Those retailers are now on notice that we are ramping up enforcement and they will be caught and prosecuted.”
Vaping vendors must check IDs and sell only to those customers who are old enough to purchase e-cigarettes.
“[We] will crack down on those who sell to minors and will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett added.
New regulations also require shops selling e-cigs to post a warning that the devices pose a significant health risk.
“These regulations will help curb this dangerous trend and will further safeguard the health of all New Yorkers, especially among underage youths,” according to New York State DOH Commissioner Howard Zucker.
In June, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban all sales of battery-powered e-cigarettes, making it illegal to sell nicotine vaporizer products in stores, or for online retailers to ship goods to Bay Area addresses.
The state of Michigan followed suit, recently halting the sale of flavored nicotine vaping products in retail stores and online. The restrictions extend to misleading marketing, which may perpetuate ideas that vaping products are harmless.
Cigarette consumption peaked in 1965, when about 50 percent of men and 33 percent of women were sucking down 100+ butts a year. Usage began to wane in the new millennium, dropping to less than 25 percent of adults who now smoke tobacco.
Children, however, are a different story: In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that upwards of 4 million middle and high school students currently use tobacco products.
That could soon change, though, as Donald Trump announced plans to ban non-tobacco-flavored electronic cigarette products.
The president’s move comes days after the FDA issued a warning letter to JUUL Labs for telling students its vaping products are “totally safe” and “99 percent safer than cigarettes.”
More on Geek.com:
- FDA Targets Teens With Magic E-Cig Prevention Ads
- E-Cigarette Explodes in Teen’s Mouth, Shatters His Jaw
- Hackers Use E-Cigarettes to Transmit Malware
