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Illnesses and deaths send shockwaves around the country as Governor Cuomo bans e-cigarette sales Governor Cuomo bans e-cigarette sales after illnesses and deaths shock NY

By Josh Liepper

One Juul pod is equivalent to 20 cigarettes
© 2019 Josh Liepper

By Josh Liepper SYRACUSE, NY (NCC NEWS) –

Vaping products have been sold in stores for over a decade, but now shocking illnesses and deaths are leading to tighter investigations that hopefully will lead to solutions.

The US Centers for Disease Control are looking into close to 400 cases of lung illnesses that are associated with e-cigarettes in 36 states and the US Virgin Islands.

New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced the ban of all flavored e-cigarettes besides menthol on Sunday. The ban will go on for 90 days after the Public Health and Health Planning Council voted unanimously to implement the ban.

Once the 90 days are over, the governor will need to extend the ban in order to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of teens and young adults.

Syracuse University students were not shocked by the announcement. College students are the ones who are likely buying the e-cigarettes.

The e-cigarette company, JUUL, has received strong criticism after many lung illnesses and deaths have been reported in the United States.

The company is not the only one to blame though.

Store owners in Syracuse have refused to comment on the issue since Cuomo made the announcement. Ryan Golde, an SU student, says owners should be blamed as well.

“They’re not really doing their job. They need to do a better job of getting these devices out of the hands of young adults,” Golde said.

Gas stations, convenience stores, smoke shops, and any other store that sells vape products have two weeks to sell all of their flavored pods. In addition, those selling flavored pods after the two weeks will be fined.

Store owners or employees that are found selling e-cigarettes to underage people will face criminal and civil penalties.

In the last eight years, 28 million people have started vaping while smoking rates have decreased.

The American Lung Association released a statement, opposing the governors ban.

“While today’s announcement was well-intentioned, it will drive our youth to use menthol flavored products in even greater numbers,” they said.

(Track 1)
Flavored e-cigarettes are officially banned in NY. This comes after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered an executive action to ban all flavored vape products except menthol.

The Public Health and Health Planning Council voted unanimously to implement the move for 90 days.

Ryan Golde, a student at Syracuse, believes that not all of the blame should be placed on JUUL

GOLDE: “JUUL themselves has advertising that seems to be targeted towards young people, but it’s also on people that run gas stations or smoke shops or convenience stores that aren’t really doing their job.”

(Track 2)

Teens and young adults were obtaining JUUL’s and illnesses started to rise, prompting the governor to call for a ban. There have been close to 400 confirmed illnesses and eight reported deaths related to vaping.

GOLDE: “Obviously, you don’t want young kids using tobacco products because it’s not good for them, it’s addictive, all that.

(Track 3)

Those who JUUL now have to make a decision. Do they keep buying JUUL products, go back to smoking cigarettes or just quit all together?

SU Student Oliver Nidds says it’s time to quit.

NIDDS: “So with the FDA cracking down and making sure that nothing continues in circulation like that, I think it’s a good sign to tell a lot of people, not just me, but most vapors and smokers to begin the quittance, to start to quit.”

(Track 4)

This is what a JUUL pod looks like. A single pod like this one is equivalent to a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.

Convenience stores like “Student’s Choice” here on Marshall Street have been given a two-week grace period so that they can sell all of their flavored pods. If they are caught selling them after the two-weeks, they’ll be subjected to a $2,000 fine.

Now over the past week, I contacted multiple convenience stores seeing if they had anything to say about the governor’s ban of e-cigarettes. However, all the owners refused to comment.

Reporting here on Marshall Street, I’m Josh Liepper, N-C-C News.

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