NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Vaping products, including flavored vape liquids and pods, are displayed at Gotham Vape in Queens, on September 17, 2019 in New York City. Vaping, which many Americans have taken up as an alternative to smoking, has come under increased federal scrutiny following a rash of deaths related to vaping cannabis. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON D.C.– Senator Mitt Romney is on a mission to regulate the e-cigarette industry. He joins KSL NewsRadio live Friday morning how exactly he plans to do so.
Senator Romney’s bill would increase regulation, eliminate re-fillable cartridges to prevent unknown substances from getting mixed in, and ban vape flavors.
There’s been national concern about who exactly e-cigarette companies are marketing nicotine products to. Romney believes their target audience is children.
“There’s even one flavor out here that’s called Unicorn Poop, I kid you not. These products are clearly being aimed at kids,” said Romney.
Romney said kids are getting addicted to nicotine…and getting sick. The bi-partisan bill would also require a public awareness campaign about the dangers of vaping. He says the federal government should have done something about this a long time ago.
Listen to the full interview here:
The co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation noted one-fourth of high school students and ten percent of middle schoolers are trying e-cigarettes.
“We can’t have kids getting addicted to nicotine in massive numbers in this country, without having a massive health problem down the road,” said Romney.
His bill is called the ENND Act –Ending New Nicotine Dependencies. It would ban flavors, require certain design standards, monitor the public health risks and apply the existing tobacco excise tax to e-cigarettes.
“This simply is not something we can sit by and let happen. We are going to make sure these products are not in the marketplace, and let our kids know the dangers associated with them.”
The bill would also create a system to monitor the public health risks of vaping while applying the existing tobacco excise tax to e-cigarettes.