An image from The California Smokers’ Helpline (1-800-No-Butts) depicting different types of vaping devices.
Long Beach 3rd-District Councilmember Suzie Price– with the support of 6th-District Councilmember Stacy Mungo and Vice Mayor Dee Andrews– has brought to the council’s Oct. 1 agenda a proposed temporary ban on the sale of flavored vaping products throughout the city.
If the rest of the council agrees to take this action in light of what Price calls a national health emergency, the city attorney would draft an ordinance temporarily banning the sale of flavored vapor products in Long Beach.
“Concern is growing nationwide for the dangers of vaping and, with the numbers of deaths and serious health concerns coming from their use, it is important for us to further evaluate these concerns before continuing to allow for the sales of these products to Long Beach residents,” Price said in a Sept. 26 statement.
Price’s proposal cites eight recent deaths linked to vaping across the nation, including one in Los Angeles County.
Updated CDC information as of Sept. 27 now confirms 805 lung-injury cases nationwide and twelve deaths. About 70% of patients are male and most between the ages of 18 and 21, with 16% of patients under 18 years of age, the CDC states on its site.
The CDC says its latest findings suggest that these lung injuries are associated with products containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
“CDC has received data on substances used in e-cigarettes or vaping products in the 30 days prior to symptom onset among 514 patients,” it states. “About 77% reported using THC-containing products; 36% reported exclusive use of THC-containing products.”
However, the CDC says it doesn’t know the specific chemical exposure causing lung injuries since no single product or substance has been linked to all lung-injury cases.
“While this investigation is ongoing, CDC recommends that [users] consider refraining from using e-cigarette, or vaping, products, particularly those containing THC,” it states. “Anyone who uses an e-cigarette or vaping product should not buy these products (e.g., e-cigarette or vaping products with THC or CBD oils) off the street.”
Both Long Beach and LA County public-health officials have also issued warnings about vaping. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Sept. 16 to try to reduce youth vaping by enforcing product standards, adding warning signs at retail outlets and funding a $20-million vaping-awareness campaign.
“With mysterious lung illnesses and deaths on the rise, we have to educate our kids and do everything we can to tackle this crisis,” Newsom said in a press release.
The nonprofit TobaccoFreeKids.org counts 41 California cities and counties that have limited or banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes as of September.
Price has already worked to reduce the health impacts of smoking in outdoor spaces, she notes in her statement.
“Now we see serious health-related harms associated with vaping,” she says. “At a fundamental level, the city is responsible to keep residents safe, so enacting a temporary ban of flavored vaping products until we are able to be clear about the health concerns is a necessary step.”
The council-agenda proposal indicates that Price’s office was not yet able to assess the financial impact of a ban due to the urgency and time-sensitivity of the matter.
However, businesses that sell vaping products in Long Beach say they will feel the impact of a ban and may even go out of business.
Dean Recilles, one of the managers of Vapor Craze at 3424 Long Beach Blvd., which sells e-cigarette devices, supplies and liquids, told the Signal Tribune Monday he feels there is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the causes of the lung-disease outbreak, based on information from the CDC and FDA.
“We’re being duped,” he said. “The bigger culprit is THC-related vaping products.”
He urged Councilmember Price to look into the issue further before continuing with the proposed ban, especially since he said it could generate a larger black market for banned vaping products.
Since Vapor Craze also manufactures the liquids sold in vaping products, Recilles said his company’s bottom line would be directly impacted.
“We’d be forced to shut down,” he said. “I wish more people were better informed.”
The Long Beach City Council will discuss the proposed ban at its Oct. 1 meeting starting at 5pm in the council chamber at 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
