Washington and Oregon recently implemented vape bans due to the rising reports of mysterious illnesses and health issues of vaping.

On Oct. 10, Washington state implemented a 120 day ban on flavored vape products as an emergency measure against a growing outbreak of vaping-related illnesses. Last month, governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order authorizing the emergency ban and directed the Washington State Board of Health to implement the ban upon its next meeting.

According to the Board of Health, the state has seen seven cases of lung illnesses in relation with vape usage. While the state is investigating these cases, the flavored vaping ban will reportedly provide additional protection for Washington state citizens during this time.

“This is a critical part of our response to the youth vaping epidemic and the outbreak of vaping associated lung injury in Washington and throughout the country,” Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said during a press release. “While we don’t yet know the exact cause of the lung injury, we know these products are not safe and we must act quickly to protect young people.”

Oregon governor Kate Brown has also put out an executive order for a flavored vaping ban. Brown’s order from last week will reportedly be implemented by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and the Oregon Health Authority starting on Oct. 15. The ban will reportedly last six months but.

The ban covers flavored e-cigarette products including those containing THC, CBD, and nicotine. If retailers are found to violate the ban, they can reportedly be filed up to $500 per day per violation. Cannabis retailers could reportedly face the loss of their license if they violate the ban.

The regulators released a joint statement saying that the temporary rules “are significant steps toward stemming the well-documented tide of e-cigarette use and vaping by youth, as well as keeping products that may expose people to unsafe chemicals and other contaminants off store shelves.”

Health Issues of Vaping

These bans come amidst concern and stress regarding a mysterious vaping lung illness plaguing the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 1,299 confirmed reports of lung injury associated with vaping.

People with this type of lung injury reportedly present with a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and/or weight loss. In some patients, these symptoms come on suddenly while other patients have their symptoms develop over the course of several weeks.

Unfortunately, health officials are having trouble pinpointing the cause of this illness. There is not a lung infection causing the symptoms and the only common thread between patients is reportedly e-cigarette usage. The CDC notes that “most” of the patients had used THC containing vape products and theorizes that the illness may be associated with illicit THC vape products obtained from informal sources. However, not all of the patients have used THC products, so the CDC is not excluding nicotine-containing products from their investigation.

Due to the increase in attention on health issues of vaping, health officials have reportedly given the illness an official name: “e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury,” or Evali. Unfortunately, Evali may become more difficult to identify in the coming flu season, with more patients suffering from lung related symptoms.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.