A drawer is filled with vaping devices confiscated by an area school district.
© TOM HAWLEY/Monroe News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(New York, NY) – New York City has sued a Long Island distributor, alleging the company has been illegally selling flavored electronic cigarettes. Mayor Eric Adams says the lawsuit is aimed at protecting teenagers from vaping, which has exploded in popularity among younger Americans over the past 10 years or so.
Originally introduced as a way to quit smoking, e-cigarettes or vaping has become very popular in its own right. That’s especially true for school kids, much to the chagrin of school officials and parents alike. Reports of teachers confiscating kids’ vapes are commonplace. And in recent years there’s been a push to ban flavored e-cigs, especially when it comes to candy or fruit-based flavors. The argument is those flavors are essentially created for and marketed toward younger users.
So, New York City is suing Price Point Distributors out of Farmingdale — the company is an online distributor of e-cigs and vapes. It serves both the Big Apple and other areas of the US. Mayor Adams argues the company purposefully sells addictive products. Chief Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant says candy flavored e-cigarettes are especially problematic, calling them one of the most addictive products on the market.