Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the ban I have ordered on flavored nicotine vaping products. I truly appreciate hearing from Michiganders from across the state and the opportunity to respond.
On Wednesday, September 11, the Trump administration announced that they were following in Michigan's footsteps to ban flavored e-cigarettes. I'm glad this administration is doing the right thing to protect our kids and our overall public health. This is a bold step that will keep our kids healthy and safe from the harmful effects of vaping. I'm proud that Michigan has been a leader on this issue, and I'm ready to continue working to protect our kids and our public health.
State agencies may develop and implement emergency rules whenever there is an emergency that endangers public health, safety, or welfare. (MCL 24.248.) After Michigan's Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, confirmed that youth vaping constitutes a public health emergency, I ordered the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to issue emergency rules to ban the sale of flavored nicotine vaping products in retail stores and online and ban misleading marketing of vaping products, including the use of terms like "clean," "safe," and "healthy" that perpetuate beliefs that these products are harmless. I have also ordered the Michigan Department of Transportation to enforce an existing statute to prohibit the advertisement of vapor products on billboards. These bold steps will finally put an end to these irresponsible and deceptive practices and protect Michiganders' public health.
We have seen an explosive increase in the number of Michigan kids exposed to vaping products. From 2017 to 2018, e-cigarette use spiked 78% among high school students and 48% among middle school students. These products can contain harmful chemicals that put our kids' health at risk. As governor and a parent, my number one priority is keeping our kids safe. Right now, companies are selling vaping products that use candy flavors to hook children on nicotine and using misleading claims to promote the belief that these products are safe. Nearly 90% of smokers start using nicotine before the age of 18 and 81% of youth e-cigarette users start with a flavored product. This makes the substantial surge of youth using flavored nicotine vape products a preventable public health crisis.
MDHHS will be taking a number of actions to make sure people understand how to comply. There is a website with additional information, which you can find at
www.michigan.gov/ecigarettes <
MDHHS e-cigarette Information> . Also, the MDHHS tobacco section has created a retailers' packet that includes FAQ's about compliance with the emergency rules. Along with local health departments, they plan to conduct regional meetings with retailers to answer questions about the emergency rules.
In June of this year, I made it known that recent legislation put forth by the legislature did not go far enough to protect Michigan's kids from nicotine addiction. I was clear that the marketing, packaging, and taste of e-cigarettes amounted to a bait-and-switch engineered to create new nicotine addicts. Our kids deserve leaders who are going to fight to protect them, and it's my responsibility to ensure that these dangerous marketing tactics are put to an end.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write. On January 1, 2019, I took an oath to serve the state of Michigan, and I am committed to building bridges from state government to real Michiganders. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at (517) 335-7858, should you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Gretchen Whitmer
Governor of Michigan
(517) 335-7858
