By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol News
Gov. Doug Ducey said he believes that banning flavored nicotine-laced vaping liquids may not be a good idea.
The governor told Capitol Media Services that he wants to keep these nicotine products out of the hands of teens. And state and local health officials have argued that many of the flavored products are designed to entice young people to vape even though they cannot purchase the product legally in Arizona until they are 18.
But Ducey said he’s not convinced that flavors like bubble gum and root beer are designed solely to attract children.
Ducey also is taking a wait-and-see attitude to the question of how old someone should have to be to purchase both vaping and tobacco products even as some Arizona communities are moving ahead and imposing a minimum age of 21.
The governor’s comments come as Alex Azar II, director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the Food and Drug Administration will come up with a plan to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other liquid pods, other than tobacco flavor, from the market.
Some states are not waiting.
