House approves bill to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving to stem a vaping epidemic among young people, the House has approved a bill to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.

The bill would place new restrictions on the marketing of e-cigarettes and ban flavors in tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill also would place a new excise tax on nicotine.

The House approved the bill, 213-195, on Friday, sending it to the Senate, where approval is considered unlikely. The White House said in a statement that President Donald Trump's administration opposes the bill.

Supporters said the legislation provides a comprehensive strategy to reverse a teen vaping epidemic that officials fear is hooking a generation of young people on nicotine. In the latest government survey, more than 1 in 4 high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the previous month. Late last year, Congress approved a law raising the minimum age to buy all tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21 nationwide.

Opponents said the House bill went too far, noting that the new law raising the age of tobacco use has been in effect for only two months.

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus said banning menthol cigarettes could harm black smokers. African Americans smoke menthol cigarettes at a far higher rate than the rest of the U.S. population, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Marketing and promotion of menthol cigarettes is heavily targeted toward black smokers.

"White adult smokers would see little difference in their lives after this ban, while black smokers could face even more sweeping harassment from law enforcement if the hint of menthol smoke can justify a stop” by a police officer, said Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y.

"A ban that...