Cuomo says he’ll move to ban flavored e-cigarettes, vaping ads

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) >> Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday he’ll introduce legislation to ban all flavored nicotine e-cigarette products as well as vaping advertisements aimed at youth.

The Democrat announced that legislation he’ll propose in his 2020 State of the State agenda on Jan. 8 will also prohibit online, phone and mail-order sale of e-cigarettes to anyone but registered retailers.

“Vaping is a public health crisis, claiming too many lives and making countless others sick in a short period of time,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The problem is made worse by unscrupulous vaping companies who are targeting young people with candy flavored products like cotton candy and bubble gum and other marketing ploys.”

The legislation would codify emergency regulations adopted by state health officials in September to ban flavored e-cigarette sales. That ban is on hold pending a court challenge by the vaping industry led by the Vapor Technology Association.

Cuomo said nearly 40 percent of 12th graders and 27 percent of all high school students are using e-cigarettes, with flavored products driving the increase in use.

Cuomo said his legislation will also empower the state Department of Health to ban the sale of vaping carrier oils that have been blamed for respiratory ailments.

Action against e-cigarettes has gained urgency amid the rise of a vaping illness nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of Dec. 17, more than 2,500 people across the United States have reported respiratory issues related to vaping and 54 people are known to have died.