By Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – After reports that President Donald Trump is reversing course on a planned e-cigarette flavor ban, Illinois’ senior U.S. Senator is responding.
In September, the Trump administration announced it would soon ban most flavored e-cigarettes as vaping among young people continued to rise. The New York Times reports that now two months later, under pressure from his political advisers about the potential pushback from his supporters, Trump has not moved forward with any action on vaping, while saying he still wants to study the issue.
Senator Dick Durbin told WJBC’s Scott Miller he’s concerned if Trump doesn’t move forward with a ban on flavored products. He sent a letter to the president Tuesday.
“The vaping association and this industry is putting pressure on the White House, I hope that’s not true, but boy there are some signals this week that the president is backing off this,” said Durbin.
Last week, a fourth person from Illinois died who had recently been hospitalized with a lung injury associated with vaping, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2,172 people have been sickened by vaping related illnesses.
A link to Durbin’s letter can be found here.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
