Michigan becomes the first state in the US to ban flavored e-cigarettes today, a step the governor claims is needed to protect youth from the potentially harmful effects of vaping.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), in an interview, said the state health department found youth vaping constituted a public health emergency, prompting her to take the action, according to an article in the Washington Post.
“My number one priority is keeping our kids safe and protecting the health of the people of Michigan,” Whitmer said.
She complained that e-cigarette companies are using sweet flavors, such as bubble gum and “fruit loops,” to hook young people on nicotine, with potentially long-term harmful consequences, according to the article.
The ban, which covers both retail and online sales, goes into effect immediately and will last for six months, and can be renewed for another six months, according to the article. In the meantime, state officials said, they will develop permanent regulations banning flavored e-cigarettes. The state legislature could try to block those rules, but such legislation would face a veto, they added.