Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to issue an emergency rule banning the sale of flavored vaping products in retail or online.

“As governor, my number one priority is keeping our kids safe,” said Governor Whitmer. “And right now, companies selling vaping products are using candy flavors to hook children on nicotine and misleading claims to promote the belief that these products are safe. That ends today. Our kids deserve leaders who are going to fight to protect them. These bold steps will finally put an end to these irresponsible and deceptive practices and protect Michiganders’ public health.”

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Whitmer decided on the course of action after her Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, made the claim that vaping among minors constituted a health crisis.

“In the past few years, we’ve seen an explosive increase in the number of Michigan kids exposed to vaping products,” Khaldun said. “This is a public health crisis. These products can contain harmful chemicals that put our kids’ health at risk. I’m looking forward to working with Governor Whitmer to mitigate these effects and keep our kids healthy.”

Attorney General Dana Nessel spoke in favor of the governor’s ban and promised to provide her complete legal support.

“With a more than 1.5 million increase in the number of students using vaping products in just one year, the governor’s emergency actions today are exactly the bold measures we must take to protect Michigan’s children from the dangerous effects of vaping,” Nessel said.

“I commend the governor’s decision and pledge my department’s continued and shared commitment to keeping these products out of the hands of our kids.”

The ban also restricts words that might be considered favorable or misleading when describing vaping products. Words like “clean,” “safe,” and “healthy” will no longer be acceptable when marketing vaping products. Because the ban is not legislative it will only go into effect for 6 months, after which the governor can extend it by another 6 months. In the meantime the governor’s office has announced it will prioritize developing and introducing legislation for a more permanent ban.