In an effort to curb teen vaping, Michigan has become the first state to ban sales of flavored e-cigarettes.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed the state’s health department to issue an emergency six month ban on the sale of flavored nicotine both in store and online, according to MSNBC. Additionally, companies will be barred from using terms such as “clean,” “safe” and “healthy” that belie the risks the products pose.
The ban can be renewed for another six months; Whitmer aims to have it passed into law, telling the publication that, “as governor, I’m going to do it unilaterally until I can get the legislature to adopt a statute and write it into law.”
Related: FDA Smokes Out Youth E-cigarette Use, FEMA Addresses Flavors
While generally considered less harmful than smoking cigarettes, health official have concerns over the ways teen vamping might lead to a resurgence in nicotine addiction after decades of progress curbing the habit.
Flavors, in particular, have come under fire, with those opposing saying fruity and sweet flavorings might lure teens to e-cigarettes. E-cigarette manufacturer Juul—which has been at the center of the teen vaping debate—has voiced support on a ban on flavors that “mimic kid-specific candies, foods and drink,” and no longer sells these flavors—including mango, fruit, cucumber and crème—in-store. (It continues to sell them on its age-restricted website.)
The Great Lakes State is likely the canary in the coal mine: lawmakers in California have already instituted or proposed similar bans.
