Despite the marketing, President Donald Trump’s plan to ban various vape flavors isn’t actually about saving lives; it’s about keeping nicotine away from children.
Eleven Americans have died from vaping-related illnesses in 2019, with hundreds more having injuries causing coughs and even putting some on respirators, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While the media has called the spat of deaths a “crisis” and an “epidemic,” a death toll barely reaching into the double digits in a country of 320 million people hardly registers as such. (RELATED: Media Leaves THC Link Out Of Headlines About Vaping Deaths)
Today on the Daily Caller Explains we go over what Trump’s ban actually does, and what a ban tailored to stop vaping deaths might look like.
Enthusiast Brandy Tseu uses an electronic cigarette at The Vapor Spot vapor bar in Los Angeles, California March 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
The CDC claims that while most of the vaping deaths and injuries have come from THC and other cannabis products, legal nicotine products have caused some as well. Yet President Trump’s ban, and bans like it in Michigan and New York, only address nicotine flavors, and only some flavors at that: Mint is still allowed. (RELATED: Juan Williams Mentions ‘Family Jewels’ During Vaping Debate And You Can Guess What Happened Next)
There is no evidence to suggest that flavorings have caused any injuries, but minors who vape overwhelmingly use exotic, fruity flavors over the straight tobacco variants the bans don’t touch. As a result, these bans are capitalizing on a nationwide scare about the dangers of vaping to achieve a different goal: Stopping children from getting addicted to nicotine.