Vaping businesses and their advocates are preparing for another battle over the future of their industry after Gov. Andrew Cuomo
reignited his push against flavored electronic cigarettes.To get more
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E-cigarettes supplies, you can visit univapo official website.
Cuomo enacted an emergency ban on flavored vaping products last year after a rash of vaping-related illnesses and deaths across the country.
However, a state judge officially struck down the ban two weeks ago,
ruling Cuomo didn’t have the authority.
“Let’s just pass a new law, let’s pass it quickly and let’s ban flavored e-cigarettes,” Cuomo said during his 2021 budget address
Tuesday. Joel Giambra, who represents Buffalo company Demand Vape, said
Wednesday that a ban is unwarranted given new research.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed last month that most of the vaping-related illnesses, which has killed four
people in New York alone, are caused by black market vaping products
that contain THC.
“Our state lawmakers and the governor must recognize that commercially-made nicotine vaping products have not been identified as
the cause of this recent outbreak,” said Giambra, a former Erie County
executive.
Cuomo appears to be repositioning his ban as protection for youth. The National Institutes of Health says teen usage of vaping products is
on the rise, as 37% percent of high school seniors reported using a
vaping product in 2018, compared to only 28% in 2017.
Cuomo’s ban specifically targets vaping products with flavors, arguing vaping companies have targeted children and teens with flavors
like bubble gum and cotton candy.In a 2017 state survey of 15- to
17-year-olds who use vaping products, 19% said flavors were the reason
they first tried an e-cigarette and 27% said flavors were the reason
they kept using.
Demand Vape co-owner Jon Glauser said many adults are also attracted to the flavors, adding the taste convinces many of them to switch from
smoking tobacco combustible cigarettes to using e-cigarettes.
“So if you have a product that scientifically we know causes less harm than combustible tobacco cigarettes, why would you want to put it
on the same playing field to make it equally as attractive and not give
someone that extra incentive to switch to it?” he said.
Giambra and Glauser said they support Cuomo’s other proposals to keep vaping products away from those under 21, like banning vaping-related
ads targeted to youth.
“Are kids using these products? Absolutely, and it needs to be addressed,” Glauser said. “Not at the expense of adults, but we need to
do it reasonably, we need to executive on it, and we do want to work
with the legislature and the governor to make sure that happens.”
Giambra said an analysis of the vaping industry’s economic benefit in New York will be released next week. The Vapor Technology Association
has previously estimated there are 4,416 jobs related to vaping in the
state and a direct economic output of nearly $449 million.
