Politics & Government

Capitol Connection

From our State Capitol in Lansing to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, WKAR is committed to explaining how the actions of lawmakers are affecting Michiganders. Political and government reporter Abigail Censky leads this section. There are also stories from Capitol correspondents Cheyna Roth, Rick Pluta and the Associated Press. As the 2020 presidential race begins, look here for reports on the role Michigan will play in electing or re-electing the president.

Michigan Moves To Be 1st State To Ban Flavored E-cigarettes

WKAR Public Media | By Associated Press

Published September 4, 2019 at 12:45 PM EDT

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is moving to make Michigan the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes.

The Democrat announced Wednesday that she ordered the state health department to issue emergency rules. They will prohibit the sale and misleading marketing of flavored nicotine vaping products.

Whitmer says her No. 1 priority is keeping kids safe, and she wants to stop companies that are using candy flavors to "hook children on nicotine."

The federal government and nearly every state bar the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Whitmer says Michigan will be the first to ban flavored vaping products, including for adults.

The American Vaping Association says the "shameless attempt at backdoor prohibition" could send thousands of ex-smokers back to deadly cigarettes. It says it will support lawsuits to challenge the ban.