Inslee Pitches Permanent Ban On Flavored Vape Products

OLYMPIA, WA — Governor Jay Inslee has introduced legislation seeking to permanently ban the sale of flavored vapor products in Washington state. The move follows an executive order issued last year prompting state health officials to enact a 120-day emergency ban on the products, amid growing lung illness cases linked to vaping.

Inslee's proposed legislation would also limit how much nicotine is permitted in vapor liquids, require specific manufacturing licenses for producers, require all ingredients be disclosed, and curtail how the products can be marketed.

In a news release, the governor's office said the measures were primarily meant to make vaping less appealing to younger users.

"Research consistently shows that flavors and associated advertising contribute to the appeal, initiation and use of tobacco products, including vapor products, particularly among adolescents and young adults. These flavors exist for one reason and one reason only, and that is to make them appealing to young children."

Late last year, the U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigarette use among young people a nationwide epidemic. The federal government and Washington state lawmakers raised the legal minimum age to purchase all tobacco products to 21 at the beginning of this year.

According to the state Department of Health, 23 cases of vaping-associated lung injury have been reported in Washington since April 2019. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration continue to investigate the cause of the outbreak. Vitamin E acetate, a diluting agent found in some THC products, was identified as one potential culprit.

The governor's proposed legislation is sponsored in the legislature by Democratic State Rep. Gerry Pollet and Sen. Patty Kuderer.