October 4, 2019 10:35 a.m.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has issued a temporary ban on the sale of flavored vaping products in the state.
An Executive Order Friday morning called on state agencies to enact the ban which will include other sources or additives as they are identified in cases of vaping-related lung injury or death.
Brown said “My first priority is to safeguard the health of all Oregonians”. She said by keeping potentially unsafe products off store shelves and out of the hands of Oregon’s children and youth “we prevent exposing more people to potentially dangerous chemical compounds and help lessen the chance of further tragedy for any other Oregon family”. State officials earlier said two people have recently died from vaping-related illness in Oregon. There have been over a thousand cases of lung injury nationwide, according to Brown’s release.
While banning the flavored vaping products, Brown said “I want to be clear though: the safest option for Oregonians right now is to not use vaping products of any kind”. She continued saying “until we know more about what is causing this illness, please do not vape. Encourage your friends and family members to stop vaping immediately”.
E-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco products used by Oregon’s youth, with 23 percent of Oregon 11th graders reporting using an e-cigarette in 2019, up from 13 percent in 2017.
Brown called on the federal government to act to address vaping-related illness saying “federal action is long overdue to address this national public health crisis”.
The order calls for a 180-day ban on all flavored vaping products under the emergency rulemaking authority of the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The order also directs state agencies to develop legislative proposals for long-term solutions for consideration by the legislature.
In addition to the ban, the executive order calls on state agencies to develop plans within 90 days regarding consumer warnings about the dangers of vaping, ingredient disclosure for vaping products, testing of vaping products to determine product safety, improving health care provider reporting of vaping-related lung injuries to the Oregon Health Authority, increasing access to federally approved cessation services and methods and establishing a statewide prevention and education campaign aimed at discouraging the use of vaping products.