Across the country, state legislatures are intensifying their war on flavored vaping products—doubling down on the same misguided tactics that have repeatedly failed to curb youth nicotine use while actively endangering adult smokers trying to quit. States like New York, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are proudly touting new restrictions, as the federal government, through the FDA, continues to stumble on authorizing safe, effective alternatives to smoking.
The result is a regulatory framework that bans a key tool for adults to quit smoking and pushing people—both teens and adults—back toward deadly combustible cigarettes instead of protecting public health.
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has called for a fresh crackdown on flavored e-cigarettes. This is despite the state already having a sweeping flavor ban on the books. Now the state is ramping up enforcement to sweep out all unauthorized disposables, most of which are flavored and already banned. The intent is to protect kids, but the effect of flavor bans is to deprive adults of access to tools to quit, while teens shift back to cigarettes.
Justin Leventhal is a senior policy analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization that advocates for consumers through evidence-based analysis and data. Follow Justin on X @JustinLeventhal.