After two people in Montana have developed vaping related illnesses and over twenty people nationwide have died from these illnesses, Governor Steve Bullock announced a sweeping ban of all flavored vape products, including e-cigarettes as well as all CBD and medical THC vape products both in stores and online, which will go into effect on October 22nd. Bullock said in a statement, “Young Montanans are using e-cigarettes at an alarming rate, while officials investigate the possible causes of a national outbreak of e-cigarette-related injury and death, leaving us at a crossroads. Today, I choose action. Protecting the health, safety and well-being of all Montanans – especially our kids – is one of my top priorities as governor, and I join the other parents across this state knowing we cannot rest until we do everything we can to keep our kids safe.” He continued, “This is the right thing to do during the outbreak of these illnesses and deaths, and it’s the right thing to do for the future leaders of our state.”
Nationally, over 1,000 people have developed illnesses attributed to using a vape. Montana now joins six other states who have taken similar action: Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts. Banning flavors is seen as an attempt to dissuade teenagers from using these products as Governor Bullock says they are “widely marketed to and used by young people” and he points to the 2009 ban of flavored cigarettes, with the exception of menthol, as proof that flavors attract the youth. Department of Health and Human Services State Medical Officer Dr. Greg Holzman said, “The federal government banned all flavors for conventional cigarettes in 2009, with the exception of menthol. Since then, current use of cigarettes among U.S. youth has decreased significantly. However, this ban did not include e-cigarettes which had recently entered the market. It is evident that flavored e-cigarettes have helped fuel this current epidemic.” Although the decline in conventional tobacco use among teens heavily correlates with the increase in the usage of e-cigarettes as they became more popular across all age demographics, it is hard to actually attribute the drop to the banning of any flavored cigarettes. That being said, the 2019 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed 30% of Montana high school students currently use e-cigarettes and around half of the cases of illness nationwide involve patients under the age of 25.
