Cuomo Accepts Recommendation To Ban Menthol E-Cigs

Governor Andrew Cuomo has accepted the New York State Health Commissioner's recommendation to ban menthol-flavored e-cigarettes. 

Dr. Howard Zucker's recommendation included adding menthol to the list of already banned flavored e-cigarette products.

The recommendation included some facts about e-cigarette usage among teens: "Data from the 2016-2017 FDA’s Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study found 97% of current youth e-cigarette users had used a flavored e-cigarette in the past month and 70.3% said they use e-cigarettes 'because they come in flavors I like.'"

Zucker's recommendation also cited facts regarding menthol-flavored nicotine products, saying, "A recently conducted Spring 2019 survey of 15- to 17-year-old e-cigarette users in NYS found their preference for menthol or mint flavored e-cigarettes was 34.1%, second only to fruit flavors (51.8%). (Note: NYSDOH staff just completed the analysis of this new data in the last week)."

Earlier this month, flavors (aside from tobacco and menthol) were banned in New York State.