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Schumer pushes ban on flavored e-cigs

Chris Caya/WBFO News
Sen. Schumer at Depew High School

Senator Charles Schumer made a stop at a local high school Monday to push ways to keep kids from getting addicted to nicotine. 

As the popularity of e-cigarettes soars among teenagers so to has the number of respiratory illnesses tied to vaping. During a stop at Depew High School Monday, Schumer called on President Trump to ban the flavored e-cigs that he says hook kids.

In case the president backs away, the Senate Minority Leader said Congress needs to pass the SAFE (Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes) Kids Act. He said the ban on kid-friendly flavors is not aimed at adults who use vaping to quit traditional cigarettes.
    
"Not too many adults like bubble gum or gummy bear flavors. But, second, even if you think it's important, what could be more important than the health of our young kids," Schumer asked.

Schumer says the e-cig epidemic in Western New York is spreading like a wildfire. According to CDC data the number of high school students nationwide that use e-cigarettes doubled to nearly 21 percent between 2017 and 2018. To date, the agency has reported more than 2,100 cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use.  
 

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