Deirdre Cummings
Legislative Director, MASSPIRG
617-747-4319
[email protected]
Statement: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker sets four-month ban on sale of all vaping products
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MASSPIRG
Statement: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker sets four-month ban on sale of all vaping products
Decision is a first — but hopefully not last — step to combat serious public health issue
Today, in response to the growing numbers of life-threatening vaping-related illness, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency, banning the sale of all vaping products in Massachusetts for four months.
The temporary ban will apply to flavored and unflavored vaping products in both retail stores and online. The prohibition applies to all vaping products and devices, including tobacco and marijuana.
MASSPIRG Legislative Director Deirdre Cummings issued the following statement on the announcement:
“Gov. Baker’s temporary ban on vaping products comes on the heels of a mysterious lung illness linked to e-cigarette use. These recent illnesses only reinforce the stark reality that youth vaping, at its core, is unsafe. It hooks kids on nicotine, which can alter their brain development and potentially make them more likely to start smoking combustible cigarettes. While a temporary ban is a start, lawmakers should act now by passing the Keenan/Gregoire bill currently pending in the state legislature. This important legislation would put a permanent ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products in Massachusetts and go a long way toward addressing the youth vaping crisis in the commonwealth.
“History is repeating itself when it comes to youth tobacco use, we need to make sure we repeat the part where health advocates and lawmakers fight back.”
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MASSPIRG, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization.