A City Council member wants to ban the sale of all disposable e-cigarettes, which she says will help end underage vaping in the Big Apple.
Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) plans to introduce a bill Thursday that would ban single-use e-cigarettes, saying they are a preferable option to refillable e-cigarettes for many underage nicotine users. .
“We don't give our kids a pack of cigarettes, so why should we expose them to nicotine-filled disposable e-cigarettes and put their health and future at risk?” Menin said. Said.
“The data is clear.”
The move follows a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and e-liquids in 2020 under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mr Menin said a ban on disposable e-cigarettes would eventually close a loophole that could lead to more serious drug abuse, inhibit brain development and cause respiratory problems. He said it could stop the “e-cigarette flood''.
If the bill passes, businesses that violate the ban would be subject to a $1,000 fine for the first violation and up to $5,000 for third and subsequent violations.
Menin's proposal comes just weeks after the city filed a separate lawsuit targeting Price Point Distributors, a Long Island-based company that sells colorful candy-flavored e-cigarettes. .
In July 2023, the Adams administration also filed a federal lawsuit against four major distributors, and in April 2024 announced a second lawsuit against 11 local wholesalers.
Both cases are still ongoing.
More than one in six New York state high school students reported using e-cigarettes, city data showed in 2019.
According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 1 in 10 middle and high school students in the United States, or more than 2.5 million children, used e-cigarettes during a 30-day sample period.
Just one year later, a survey conducted by the organization reported that flavored e-cigarettes remained the “most popular product” among teens.
