Michiana community split on proposed federal ban on flavored vaping products

SOUTH BEND, Ind – A future federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes are imminent.

“We can’t allow people to get sick and we can’t have our youth be so effected,” President Donald Trump said.

The Oval Office announcement came after a sixth person recently died from an illness linked to e-cigarettes.

If the future ban goes through all flavored e-cigarettes would have to be removed from the shelves unless the manufacturer gets an approval from the Food & Drug Administration.

Local vaping shop employee Jordan Horvath said aftermarket changes are the problem.

“People are buying these THC vape cartridges and they’re vaping these cartridges where they don’t know where they’re coming from,” Horvath said.

South Bend resident David Palmer said he used to use e-cigarettes in an effort to stop smoking but has since quit using the devices and is in favor of the ban.

“I stopped using them because of this recent outbreak of problems and lung problems that they don’t fully understand yet,” Palmer said.

“I just don’t think it could be reasonable to ban e-cigarettes especially in a world where something like regular cigarettes full of tobacco is legal,” South Bend resident Sam Burns said.

In recent weeks Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer took the first steps towards becoming the first state to ban the e-cigarette devices.

Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in Wednesday’s Oval Office gathering that the popular devices attract children to smoking.

“What we’ve seen is the data just shows that kids are getting access to these products in spite of our best efforts at enforcement,” Azar said.

E-cigarette manufacturers have until the end of May 2020 to file an appeal for approval with the FDA for their products.