President Donald Trump seemed to reconsider his stance on banning flavored electronic cigarettes during a recent White House-sponsored roundtable.
This event focused on addressing the concerns over minors using flavored e-cigarettes as well as ending the spate of serious illnesses tied to additives in vaping products.
As many Legal Insurrection readers noted, any ban would simply help the black market for these products.
“If you don’t give it to them, it is going to come here illegally,” Trump said during a meeting with vaping industry leaders according to the Washington Post.”They could be selling something on a street corner that could be horrible. They are going to have a flavor that is poison.”
Trump indicated that history and federalism were factors that will be considered in any recommendations his administration would offer in regards to this matter.
In Friday’s meeting, Trump inquired about a state-based approach to laws and questioned whether a national flavor ban would be reminiscent of alcohol prohibition in the 1920s.”When you watch Prohibition, when you look at the alcohol, you look at cigarettes, you look at it all, if you don’t give it to them, it’s going to come here illegally,” Trump said. “That’s the one problem I can’t seem to forget.
However, plans to raise the legal age of use are still on track.
…Trump indicated support for legislation to raise the federal minimum age for buying tobacco products to 21 from 18, which is pending in Congress.While health groups generally support an age increase, they say “Tobacco 21,” as it is called, is not enough to check the increase in teen vaping.
Reports indicate that the roundtable addressing the health risks of vaping between industry representatives and public health advocates was contentious.
Utah Senator Mitt Romney was at the center of several of the most heated exchanges.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, clashed multiple times with vaping advocates, complaining that half the students in his state’s high schools are vaping.”How about the children? We’ve got almost 6 million kids addicted to nicotine and they’re getting addicted to nicotine because of flavors,” Romney said. He said minors think vaping is “just a candy type product. It’s the flavor that’s drawing the kids in, it’s a health emergency. … It’s killing our kids.””Most adults are not using flavors,” he said. “Yes, they do,” advocates shot back.
Of course, Trump follows Romney’s suggestions at his own peril.
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