In many cases, the fight by the industry and its lobbyists has focused on leaving the most popular flavours -- mint and its close cousin, menthol -- alone. But public health experts say that all flavours should be banned, and that menthol can still hook kids on vaping.
Such bans failed or stalled, even as Michigan's governor this month ordered emergency rules prohibiting flavoured e-cigarettes. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday expressed a desire to ban flavoured e-cigarettes. Altria -- which is also Juul's biggest investor-- also spent over $70,000 in Maine alone this spring on an online social media and email campaign in its efforts to defeat a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes and all tobacco products, according to lobbying reports filed with state ethics officials. Maine still has no flavour ban.
"One of the things that we are finding is that state legislatures are reflexively reacting to media stories and without a scientific basis making determinations that flavours are the problem so we need to get rid of all the flavours," said Tony Abboud, president of the Vapor Technology Association. The company's CEO has said that Juul never intended for young people to use their products but that they are "sensitive" to concerns raised by the FDA.
Just ban vape product sales at all gas stations and convenience stores. Just sell the stuff at vape shops. I go to vape shops to buy my vape liquids. Thay card people that look too young to vape. I have seen them do it.
They are probably still selling at all the convenience stores 🙄