On Sept. 24, Governor Charlie Baker issued an emergency four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products in Massachusetts following a rise in vaping-related lung injuries. According to USA Today, “The number of vaping-related lung injury cases has jumped to 1,080 and deaths to 18,” with 10 cases of vaping-related lung injury being reported in Massachusetts. This ban applies to all online and retail sale of nicotine and marijuana vaping products and devices, so all retail stores were directed to clear their shelves of such products immediately following the approval of Baker’s plan.
Susan Mello, a professor in the College of Arts, Media, and Design at Northeastern University, has done research exploring the secondhand effects of exposure to e-cigarettes. In particular, she focused on how middle school and high school students are predominantly affected by this vaping epidemic due to being exposed to the aerosol in public areas. Since nicotine pods are small in size and easy to conceal, younger kids become more vulnerable and susceptible to experimenting with e-cigarette products. Her study of the topic with other researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Illinois Urbana, and Michigan State University was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and has since been gaining national attention and featured in other prestigious publications like CNN, Daily Mail, and The Boston Globe.
Though the e-cigarette epidemic is becoming widespread in America, many are still uneducated about the topic of vaping and its impact on the human body. Although long-term effects are unclear to most, many vapers have some idea of the potential dangers yet choose to ignore these looming suspicions. According to an anonymous Northeastern student, “I know vaping isn’t healthy for me, so it’s only a matter of time before I quit and I’m just going to enjoy it for now.”
Until recently, there has not been much research about the effects of vaping, but now the nation is in panic and working to figure out what is causing people to need hospitalization for vaping-related lung injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that many hospitalization cases have resulted from people vaping products that include THC, the main psychoactive compound found in mairjuana, so they advise that people refrain from using vaping products altogether, especially those that have come into contact with other ingredients.
“The vape ban has been effective because I no longer have access to nicotine, so it has made me realize the harmful effects it has because I have been noticing that with each day I wake up, I feel more healthy,” a Northeastern second-year student said.
According to USA Today, several Massachusetts vape stores and the Vapor Technology Association have filed complaints to the Boston federal court, as they are the main groups advocating for e-cigarette companies and vaping products. In addition, since many businesses rely on selling vaping products as their source of revenue, many retail shops are suffering and have had to let go of employees in order to afford personal costs like rent. WBUR reported that vape shop owner Stacy Poritzky made two million dollars in revenue last year from selling nicotine vaping products in Massachusetts but recently had to close down four of her businesses due to the ban, leaving her with an excess of vaping products in her inventory that will be costly for her and pushing her to consider early retirement.
The ban is set to extend through Jan. 25, 2020, a four-month period, and another hearing is currently set for Oct. 15 for opposing groups to protests against the state-wide ban.