TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A national outbreak of a vaping-related lung illness is increasing pressure in Kansas to consider new regulations for vaping and tobacco products.
One of the suggestions getting attention is raising the age for purchasing nicotine products from 18 to 21, in part because federal officials say 40 percent of vaping illnesses across the country have been reported in people under 21, The Kansas City Star reported.
The push to reconsider nicotine regulations is fueled by an increase in vaping-related illnesses reported nationwide. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control reported 1,080 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in 48 states and one U.S. territory. Eighteen deaths have been recorded in 15 states.
No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified. Most of the patients say they vaped products containing THC, the high-producing ingredient in marijuana. Others say they vaped both THC and nicotine. A smaller group report they vaped only products containing nicotine.
More than 25 Kansas cities and counties have already passed ordinances raising the age to buy nicotine products from 18 to 21, and lawmakers and advocates say a statewide law could pass next year.
Theres a ton of momentum around it, not only because there have been a number of communities that have already passed local ordinances but because of everything thats come out in the news recently about the epidemic problem of youth use, said Jordan Feuerborn, the Kansas government relations director for the American Cancer Society Action Network.
He said the American Cancer Society and its partners, collectively known as the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, will offer a bill to raise the tobacco purchase age statewide this coming year.
Gov. Laura Kelly didnt answer directly when asked if she supported raising the age to 21.
The governors ability to take executive action on banning vaping or e-cigarette products is somewhat more limited in Kansas than other states, Lauren Fitzgerald, a Kelly spokeswoman, said in an email. We are currently looking into all options, but plan to work with the legislature toward policy that would combat this epidemic.
Those who vape say the problem is misinformation and where people buy their vaping products.
At Puffs Wichita, Casey Neal said it is easier for him to breathe since he switched from cigarettes to vaping three years ago.
The regular vape shops like this are not killing anyone. Theyre vaping the black market on e-cartridges, said Neal, 26, of those who have gotten sick. Cigarettes have been killing people since they came out.
Kansas lawmakers say they are open to several options to address the problem.
There has been a fair amount of discussion. Its kind of interesting as things seem to escalate on the national level as well as the local level, there becomes a bigger appetite to address the problem somehow, some way, said Sen. Gene Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican who chairs the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. But he said it was too early to choose one idea.
The states leading health official, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman, is urging people to stop vaping until the cause of the illnesses is found. He testified before a congressional committee Wednesday in support of prohibiting the sale of nicotine products to people under 21. He also called for increased scrutiny of vaping marketing and said anti-smoking laws need to be broadened to include e-cigarettes.
