States Take Vaping Action: California Warns Users To Quit; Massachusetts Orders Temporary Sales Ban
As the growing number of lung injury cases tied to vaping continues to climb, state public health officials take steps to fight the trend. “Californians are encouraged to stop vaping until health officials fully understand what’s causing this public health crisis," said Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom. After declaring a public health emergency, Massachusetts announces a vaping product ban that goes further than any other state with a four-month prohibition on all sales. Meanwhile, a case in Kansas brings the U.S. death toll to nine people.
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Advises No More Vaping As Lung Disease Cases Climb In State
California public health officials on Tuesday urged people to stop vaping as the number of cases of severe lung disease associated with use of e-cigarettes and vape pens continues to rise dramatically across the state and country.The state advisory applies to all vaping devices and products, including tobacco and cannabis. Public health officials said that until investigators determine exactly what’s causing the spate of lung diseases, no vaping products should be considered safe. (Allday, 9/24)
Sacramento Bee:
Stop Vaping Immediately, California Warns Over Lung Illness
Ninety Californians with a history of vaping have been hospitalized for breathing problems and lung damage, according to the department. Two have died. ... “We are seeing something that we have not seen before,” California’s top public health official Dr. Charity Dean said in a statement. “There are numerous unknown factors at this time, and due to the uncertainty of the exact cause, it is our recommendation that consumers refrain from vaping until the investigation has concluded.” (Bollag, 9/24)
Los Angeles Times:
California Officials Tell Everyone To Stop Vaping Right Now
E-cigarettes are loaded with a liquid cartridge — typically containing THC or nicotine — that when heated turns into a vapor that the user then inhales. The recent outbreak, however, suggests that something in the liquid, such as oil or another substance mixed in, has been also entering people’s lungs and causing damage, experts say. “People are getting sick and some are dying as a result of vaping,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement Tuesday. “Californians are encouraged to stop vaping until health officials fully understand what’s causing this public health crisis.” (Karlamangla, 9/24)
Boston Globe:
Baker Declares Public Health Emergency, Orders 4-Month Ban On All Vaping Products
Facing an explosion of vaping-related illnesses, Governor Charlie Baker took aggressive action Tuesday, ordering a four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products in Massachusetts in what is the most sweeping prohibition targeting electronic cigarettes in the United States. Baker’s decision to declare a public health emergency — and apply the ban to both tobacco and marijuana vaping products — quickly reverberated through the country, drawing praise from concerned medical professionals and consternation from the fledgling legal cannabis industry. (Stout, 9/24)
WBUR:
Baker Calls For 4-Month Ban Of All Vaping Products In Mass.
There will be a four-month ban on all vaping products in Massachusetts. At the State House Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and called upon the state's public health council to enact the temporary ban. The council swiftly approved the move, making Massachusetts the first U.S. state to halt sales of vaping products of all kinds. (Brown, 9/24)
Boston Globe:
Baker Declares Public Health Emergency, Orders 4-Month Ban On All Vaping Products
Baker’s decision to declare a public health emergency — and apply the ban to both tobacco and marijuana vaping products — quickly reverberated through the country, drawing praise from concerned medical professionals and consternation from the fledgling legal cannabis industry. (Stout, 9/24)
The New York Times:
Massachusetts Orders 4-Month Ban On Sale Of All Vaping Products
Gov. Charlie Baker said the Massachusetts ban would cover all vaping products, whether they were flavored or unflavored, used with nicotine or with THC, or purchased online or in stores. The ban was approved by a state public health council on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m declaring this public health emergency because medical and disease control experts have been tracking a rapidly increasing number of vaping-related illnesses that in some cases have led to death,” Mr. Baker said at a news conference. (Bogel-Burroughs, Richtel and Thomas, 9/24)
The Washington Post:
Massachusetts Vaping Ban: Governors Announces 4-Month Halt On All E-Cigarette Sales
Bans on sales of flavored vaping products took effect this month in New York and Michigan, and the Trump administration said it plans to enact a similar regulation at the federal level. Flavored products have attracted particular scrutiny from policymakers who say they are getting children hooked on nicotine. (Knowles, 9/24)
The Associated Press:
Massachusetts Temporarily Banning Sale Of Vaping Products
During the temporary ban, Baker said, the administration will work with medical experts and state and federal officials to better understand vaping illnesses and work on additional steps to address the public health crisis. That, he said, could include legislation and regulations. The administration will also work on providing more resources for a public awareness campaign and smoking cessation programs, he said. (LeBlanc, 9/24)
The Hill:
Massachusetts Gov Temporarily Bans Sale Of Vape Products
The ban on the sale of flavored and non-flavored vaping products will take effect immediately and last through Jan. 25, according to a statement from Baker's office. It applies to all vaping products and devices, including tobacco and marijuana. The statement said that 61 cases of vaping-associated pulmonary disease have been reported to the state's Department of Public Health. (Frazin, 9/24)
Politico Pro:
Massachusetts Governor Bans Sale Of All Vaping Products
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker today moved to temporarily ban the sale of all vaping products amid an outbreak of mysterious vaping-related illnesses. The Republican governor's emergency declaration, which goes further than temporary flavor bans announced by Democratic governors in Michigan and New York, would prohibit the online and retail sale of all flavored and non-flavored vaping products, including those containing marijuana, which is legal in Massachusetts. (Pradhan, 9/24)
The Hill:
Kansas Reports Ninth US Death From Vaping Illness
Kansas health officials have confirmed a second death in the state tied to a vaping-related lung disease, bringing the total number of U.S. deaths to nine. Kansas currently has nine probable or confirmed vaping related cases, including the two deaths, but officials still do not know what is causing people to become sick. The lung disease has sickened more than 530 people across the country. (Weixel, 9/24)