New York City Council Votes to Ban Flavored Vapes

New York City Council approves ban on flavored e-cigs https://t.co/cqcLCCu3Lp pic.twitter.com/ucSrya631i

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 27, 2019

Council members have now banned all vaping liquid flavors and e-cigarettes, with the sole exception of tobacco. The vote went through in 42 to 2. Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign it and let it pass into law, thus making New York City the largest city in the nation to adopt such a measure.

The Risk of Increasing Vape-Related Deaths

The vote is coming a week barely after a Manhattan man was reported to have died from vaping-related illnesses, a few weeks after a similar death. The first was a 17-year-old from the Bronx, and his death was a major catalyst to the outrage against vamping in the city. The vaping industry has seen some rather significant growth, as people believe that it is actually a great alternative to smoking. However, the major concern that its detractors have is the danger posed by substandard vapes. For an industry that was valued at about $14.08 billion in 2018, the standardization methods for vaping have not been so effective. A lot of vaping products have been found to contain Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a compound that contains contaminants and poses dangers to the lungs. Currently, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that well over 2,200 people have been treated for vaping-related ailments across the country, with a death rate that stands at 47.

More evidence supports the theory that vitamin E acetate in vaping products may be causing thousands of lung injuries and dozens of deaths among Americans, a CDC report shows. https://t.co/17W7k94Qje

— Axios (@axios) November 26, 2019

Although it is illegal for teenagers to purchase e-cigarettes, the increasing popularity of vaping among high and middle school children is the reason why the ban was introduced. Now that a law has been passed against the potentially deadly products, New Yorkers will be able to heave a sigh of relief.

Tough Luck for Vaping Fans

Mark Levine, the Chair of the City Council Health Committee, said, “New York City is finally addressing a public health crisis which has been mounting for years while state and local governments across the nation did next to nothing. We are finally taking action to address the resurgence of youth nicotine addiction caused by e-cigarette usage.” Under the new law, people will face penalties starting at $1,000 for selling the banned stuff. However, those who oppose this ban have begun to make their concerns known as well. As they see it, those who use vaping as a means to replace traditional smoking will have no choice but to go back to the potentially dangerous lifestyle. Corey Johnson, the Speaker of the City Council, supported the ban, even though he vapes occasionally. Now that the ban has been put in place, he said he would be switching to the tobacco flavored e-cigs that are still legal or try to quit cold turkey. What do you think of this new vaping policy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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