Massachusetts Bans All Vaping Products, But Only For A Few Months

Massachusetts has banned the sale of all vaping products for the duration of four months, state health officials have announced. The ban covers all varieties of vaping products, including ones that are flavored, non-flavored, that contain nicotine, and ones that contain THC. The ban was made as part of a public health emergency declaration over the growing number of vaping-related illnesses.

The public health emergency was declared by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday, paving the way for a temporary ban on all vaping products. Baker announced the ban at a press conference, citing the reason as concern from health experts over the mysterious lung condition impacting hundreds of people with a history of vaping.

'We as a commonwealth need to pause sales in order for our medical experts to collect more information about what is driving these life-threatening vaping-related illnesses,' Baker told the public. The ban was effective starting immediately on Tuesday following the approval vote from the Massachusetts Public Health Council.

Retailers located in Massachusetts must remove vaping products from sale immediately; the sate plans random compliance checks by local police and public health boards to make sure sales have been paused. The legal order follows 61 reports of potential vaping lung disease cases in the state, though they haven't been confirmed yet.

The ban is different than the one recently passed in Michigan, where officials have moved to ban all flavored electronic cigarettes. The FDA is likewise moving to clear the market of all non-authorized flavored electronic cigarettes, a move spurred by the growing number of cases and deaths linked to the use of nicotine and THC vaping products.