Health Officials Call on New Yorkers to Stop Vaping Amid Uptick in Illnesses
State health officials reissued a warning to New Yorkers on Friday
encouraging them to stop using e-cigarettes and other vaping products amid a
rise in vaping-related lung illnesses and deaths reported across the country in
recent weeks.
Health Commissioner Howard Zucker issued updated guidance for health care providers with
clinical information about the 81 known cases of severe pulmonary illnesses confirmed in
New York, procedures for reporting case information and instructions on
collecting devices for testing at the state’s Wadsworth Center.
Zucker urged New Yorkers of all ages “to stop vaping until we have better
information on what’s causing this public health crisis.”
The renewed warning came just days after the Public Health and Health
Planning Council adopted emergency regulations banning the sale of most flavored
e-cigarettes in New York. The state Department of Health will begin
enforcing the temporary policy, which exempted menthol and tobacco-flavored
products, beginning on Oct. 4, health officials said.
Zucker, in pushing for the flavor ban, argued that it was needed to crack
down on the recent spike in youth e-cigarette use, as well as to prevent new
cases of vaping-related lung illnesses.
But while most of the lung illnesses reported in New York have been tied to black market products containing cannabis, the health
commissioner told reporters earlier this week that he was not too concerned
about vaping devices regulated and sold through the state’s medical marijuana
program.
“There’s a risk-benefit issue here: If it’s truly the only thing [patients]
can do — using a vaping product — they should know that the medical marijuana
program is very closely monitored, and we have not found a problem with it,” he
said Tuesday. "We would ask them to speak with the health care provider —
the physician, the nurse practitioner — who has actually recommended that they
use medical marijuana and whether there’s an option not vaping, or something
else."
The health department recently issued
guidance on the use of vaping products for medical marijuana patients,
which also noted that all New Yorkers are encouraged to stop using vape
products until the case of vaping-associated illnesses nationwide can be better
determined.
“There have been no adverse events related to vaping associated with an
approved NYS Medical Marijuana Program product since the investigation began.
However, out of an abundance of caution, we are also urging patients in the
medical marijuana program to consult with their health care providers on
potential alternatives to vaping products while the investigation continues,”
it stated.
Stephen Dahmer, the chief medical officer for Vireo Health, which
participates in New York’s medical marijuana program, said in a statement that
his company’s products undergo strict “third-party safety testing to ensure
that it does not contain contaminants like mold, fungus, pesticides and heavy
metals.”
Vireo also does not add vitamin E acetate, a compound linked to
vaping-related illnesses, in its products, he said.
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