The Washington Legislature is considering severe restrictions on nicotine vaping products.
Washington adopted a temporary ban on flavored e-cigarette juice in October as the country addressed a mysterious, sometimes fatal lung illness that appeared linked to vaping. Since then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has said that the outbreak appears to have been linked mostly to vitamin E acetate in vaping products containing THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis.
The bill considered by the Washington Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee would make the flavor ban permanent, while also limiting the nicotine content and size of each vaping juice cartridge. Manufacturers of vapor products in the state would have to obtain a license from the Liquor and Cannabis Board, and would have to submit an ingredient list to the Department of Health.
Supporters – including school administrators, parents, and doctors – say there is too little evidence about whether e-cigarettes really help adults quit cancer-causing tobacco cigarettes, but there is evidence of an epidemic of teen vaping. Nearly one-third of high-school students in Washington vape, they said, with risks for their lungs, brain development, attention levels and behavior.
Opponents of the bill, including vape shop owners and manufacturers of vaping products, say the legislation was the result of hysteria surrounding the lung-illness outbreak. They also contend the temporary ban had already forced many vape shops to close, costing jobs, while doing little to limit the availability of the products, which can be purchased online. (AP)
