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Michigan Becomes First State to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the ban while accusing vaping companies of using sweet flavors to hook young people on nicotine.

Michigan will introduce a statewide ban on flavored electronic cigarettes and will go into effect immediately, The Washington Post reports. The move—which will prohibit retail and online sales of vaping products that use sweet or minty flavors—will be the first statewide ban in the United States. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the newspaper that youth vaping has become a public health emergency and that e-cigarette companies are using sweet flavors to hook young people on nicotine. “My No. 1 priority is keeping our kids safe and protecting the health of the people of Michigan,” Whitmer said. Michigan’s ban comes after several cities and communities applied their own restrictions—San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarettes in July. Michigan’s ban will not apply to tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.