State lawmakers are weighing whether to place more limits on vaping products. On Thursday, a Senate committee in Olympia heard public comment on the latest proposal to curb e-cigarette use.
It would limit the sale of flavored vaping products to shops open to people 21 and older, and add a 37percent tax. It also would cap the nicotine concentration in vapor products.
The proposal comes just after the state's temporary ban on flavored vaping products expired earlier this month. Those who run vape shops say the bill would put even more of them out of business. Andrew Diamond, a vape shop owner, says he started vaping after 30 years of smoking cigarettes.
“People who are benefitting from not smoking cigarettes and using e-cigarettes, punishing them for minors that are breaking the law is not good policy,” Diamond said.
But supporters of the bill, including the state health department, argue it is good policy. They say it will discourage teens and adults from vaping. Some anti-tobacco groups say the bill does not go far enough.
