California is the “worst state for vaping.” A new index ranks New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the top states having the least consumer-friendly regulatory approach to vaping. The states of Virginia, Colorado, Texas and Maryland each received “A” scores.
The index categorizes and ranks each state based on its consumer-friendly regulatory approach to vaping products.
David Clement and Yaël Ossowski, North American Affairs Manager and Deputy Director of the Consumer Choice Center, the study’s authors, wrote in a press release that recent legislative actions on flavored vaping products including restrictions, taxation, and online sales prohibitions were key to each state’s score (graded A, C, or F).
The full graph is below:
“The worst states … are far behind all the other states because of flavor bans, exorbitant taxation on vaping products, and restrictions on online sales,” said Clement, North American Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. “Our research indicates these states go above and beyond to deter adult smokers from switching to vaping, which could vastly improve and prolong their lives.”
New York joined the states of New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island as the worst in the nation with a grade of “F”, while
“What lawmakers should note is that a number of states are providing a positive framework of regulation for vaping that boosts consumer choice while contributing to public health by encouraging smoking cessation,” said Ossowski. “Excessive flavor bans, taxes, and prohibitions on online commerce grow the black market sector and harm consumers who want less harmful alternatives to smoking.
“If states want to innovate in 2020 and provide adult smokers with an alternative that is less harmful, they should look to reform their state laws to better accommodate this new technology that is helping millions,” said Ossowski.
