The bill has been sent to the Gov. Phil Murphy, who has until Jan. 21 to decide whether to sign it. A task force Gov. Murphy set up in 2019 recommended a ban on flavored vape products, which he expressed support for.
The bill bans the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes or vape products with a “distinguishable flavor, taste or aroma.” Failure to comply with the ban would result in a series of fines — $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second and $1,000 for subsequent offense.
If signed into law, the ban would curb access to vaping products amid a nationwide lung injury epidemic. There have been 2,602 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury as of Jan. 7, and 57 deaths. A majority of the illnesses have occurred in those younger than 35 years.
New York passed a similar ban, prohibiting the sale of certain flavored e-cigarette liquids. But the ban was struck down by a New York Supreme Court judge Jan. 11.
More articles on population health:
Hundreds of unvaccinated students banned from Seattle public schools
Claim that vaping is ‘95% less risky’ than smoking cigarettes is misleading, experts say
Residents in Medicaid-expansion states more likely to maintain baseline health, study finds
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