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Michigan To Become First US State To Ban Flavoured E-Cigarette Liquids

Michigan To Become First US State To Ban Flavoured E-Cigarette Liquids

They want to stop kids getting hooked on nicotine

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

Michigan has become the first state of the United States of America to move to ban flavoured e-cigarette liquids.

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Wednesday that she wanted the state's health department to make some emergency rules aimed at stopping the sale and misleading marketing of any flavoured nicotine e-liquid products.

In a statement, Whitmer said that her main priority when considering this move was keeping children safe. She added that she wanted to stop vaping companies from advertising and using sweet nicotine product flavours to 'hook children on nicotine'.

Michigan has become the first US state to ban flavored e-cigarette liquids.
PA

Whilst it's not immediately clear how her administration will enforce the new rules, Michigan is about to become the first state to ban the sale of flavoured nicotine products to adults as well as children.

Under federal law and the law of most US states it is already illegal to sell e-cigarettes and related products to minors.

The statement said: "As governor, my number one priority is keeping our kids safe.

"And right now, companies selling vaping products are using candy flavours to hook children on nicotine and misleading claims to promote the belief that these products are safe.

"That ends today. Our kids deserve leaders who are going to fight to protect them.

"These bold steps will finally put an end to these irresponsible and deceptive practices and protect Michiganders' public health."

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she believes banning flavoured e-cigarettes will stop kids being hooked on nicotine.
PA

Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel also praised the move. A statement read: "With a more than 1.5 million increase in the number of students using vaping products in just one year, the governor's emergency actions today are exactly the bold measures we must take to protect Michigan's children from the dangerous effects of vaping."

This latest move comes after San Francisco banned the sale of all e-cigarettes until further research is done into their potential health effects.

Vaping giant Juul - which is based in the Californian city - said that the move would create a thriving black market.

Vaping company Juul said a total ban on e-cigarettes would create a thriving black market.
PA

Ted Kwang, a company spokesperson for Juul, said: "This full prohibition will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers, and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use.

"We have already taken the most aggressive actions in the industry to keep our products out of the hands of those underage and are taking steps to do more."

He added that traditional smoking products like cigarettes aren't affected by the new rules and 'remain untouched by this legislation, even though they kill 40,000 Californians every year'.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, US News, Technology