- New York is the first U.S. state to ban vape products by executive emergency order.
- Experts are still looking into the long-term health risks of vaping.
- Federal investigators think the black market could be playing a role in the 6 deaths by vaping.
The entire state of New York is moving to ban all flavored vape products by way of an emergency order. Governor Andrew Cuomo issued this executive order to take flavored vape products off the shelves in light of a mysterious lung disease from vaping that has caused the death of 6 people.
Vape products, namely the Juul, have been promoting themselves as ‘healthier’ alternative to smoking cigarettes. As a result, many long-time smokers have turned to e-cigarettes to kick their bad habit. Turns out, vaping is just as bad, if not worse. Even teenagers are getting their hands on vape products, which is alarming.
Are vape products really in association with a deadly lung disease?
In light of this new lung disease outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also cracking down on its probe into vape products. They will be looking into a total of 380 cases of this lung illness in association with vaping. These cases spread across 36 different U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Other U.S. states such as California are making moves to spread awareness about the dangers of vape products. Even the Trump Administration has been cracking down on a potential ban of flavored vape products nationwide.
Experts are still looking into the potential long-term risks of vaping
Dr. Karen Haught, the Tulare County public health officer, releases a statement warning against the use of vaping. “The Tulare County Public Health Branch would like to warn all residents that any use of e-cigarettes poses a possible risk to the health of the lungs and can potentially cause severe lung injury that may even lead to death,” she says.
“Long-term effects of vaping on health are unknown. Anyone considering vaping should be aware of the serious potential risk associated with vaping.”
Could the black market be to blame?
While this ban is going into effect for legal e-cigarette products, some federal investigators believe that black market vaping products are to blame for these illnesses. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration even says that “these tragedies point to illegal vapes and THC.”
Investigators are still looking at these cases to determine if they can 100% associate the lung disease with black market vape products. Until then, there is no crystal clear answer on if it’s black market or legal vape products that are causing these health issues.
While I like the Vaping alternative to Cigarettes, we need to make sure this alternative is SAFE for ALL! Let’s get counterfeits off the market, and keep young children from Vaping!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2019
What do you think about the vaping ban?