Seven deaths and hundreds of lung injuries in people who use e-cigarettes have prompted Democratic state Senator Rebecca Millett to draft a bill that would ban the sale of the devices.
"For us to sanction the sales of these devices without assuring the public that they're safe is unacceptable," Millett says.
Millett says the ban would be lifted if the Food and Drug Administration approves e-cigarettes as smoking cessation devices, but a doctor's prescription would be required.
"We're not prohibiting forever,” says Millett. “We're prohibiting until we know what people are actually ingesting."
Her proposed bill requires approval from the legislative council before it can be introduced in the next session in January.
Originally published Sept. 26, 2019 at 11:22 a.m. ET.
