Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sept. 27 asked state agencies to ban flavored and cannabis-derived vaping products amid a nationwide surge of lung diseases related to e-cigarettes.
Executive Order 19-03 requests the State Board of Health to use its emergency rulemaking authority to prohibit all flavored products, including those containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, at its next meeting on Oct. 9.
Once the causes of the outbreak are identified, Inslee said, he wants state officials to immediately ban products that contain the harmful ingredients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the sudden rise in cases of vaping-related lung illnesses.
The governor is also looking to redirect cannabis education funds for a vaping awareness campaign and require manufacturers to disclose the content of their products.
Michigan, New York, San Francisco and Massachusetts have all recently imposed bans on e-cigarettes and vaping products.
