New York City bans flavoured e-cigarettes, protesters forced to leave hearing
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The City Council voted and passed the measure 42-2 on Tuesday
New York City has become the first major US city to ban all flavoured e-cigarettes.
The City Council voted and passed the measure 42-2 on Tuesday.
After the vote, vaping supporters shouted, tossed fake money over the balcony and shouted: "Big Tobacco thanks you!"
The ban outlaws the "sale of flavoured e-cigarettes and flavoured e-liquids in New York City, including mint, menthol and wintergreen e-cigarettes and e-liquids," explained City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
The bill referred to as 1362A was sponsored by council health committee chairman, Mark Levine.
"The slow pace at which this country has responded to the teen vaping epidemic has been an epic failure," he said. "We are acting to protect our kids by banning the e-cigarette flavours that have been hooking them for years."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he supports the ban.