This State Just Made Harshest Anti-Vaping Move Yet

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker bans sale of all vaping products for 4 months
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 25, 2019 8:05 AM CDT
This State Just Made Harshest Anti-Vaping Move Yet
In this Jan. 18, 2019, file photo, a man exhales a puff of smoke from a vape pipe at a shop in Richmond, Va.   (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

One state just got extra-tough on vaping. Gov. Charlie Baker has put a complete kibosh on the sale (either online or at brick-and-mortar stores) of all nicotine and marijuana vaping products throughout Massachusetts, from now until Jan. 25, USA Today reports. The ban, which was given the green light by the state's Public Health Council, goes into effect immediately, per Mass Live. "The use of e-cigarettes and marijuana vaping products is exploding, and we are seeing reports of serious lung illnesses, particularly in our young people," Baker said in a statement, calling it a "public health emergency." Baker adds the temporary measure is so health officials can figure out why some people are using e-cigarettes.

Baker's office said, as of Tuesday, there have been more than five dozen illnesses possibly tied to vaping (three confirmed) reported in the Bay State. No other state has yet banned all vaping products, though San Francisco has; Michigan and New York have taken action against flavored e-cigarettes. Not everyone thinks the ban, the nation's first to nix all vaping products, is a good idea, with one store owner telling USA Today it will only "drive consumers and medical patients to the illicit market, possibly exacerbating these public health concerns rather than alleviating them." (More vaping stories.)

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