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Poll finds New Yorkers support banning e-cigarettes

Oct 07, 2019 2:39 pm
Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union a new Siena College poll has found the majority of New Yorkers believe vaping is a serious public health problem, and they support the effort to ban flavored e-cigarettes. The number of people with that opinion has increased from 68 percent to 78 percent. And while 61 percent say they support a ban on flavored vape products, 52 percent say they support banning all e-cigarette products. "The degree to which, in a really short time, people see vaping as a problem stands out a lot to me," said Don Levy, director of Siena's Research Institute. "It's a dramatic increase." Bump writes that opposition to the practice is likely due to news of a multi-state outbreak of lung illnesses affecting people who use electronic cigarettes. Eighteen people have died so far and more than 1,000 have been hospitalized, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 800 New Yorkers responded to the Siena survey, conducted from September 22 to October 1. The poll included questions on a range of public health issues, including marijuana, opioids, alcohol and tobacco. The majority of residents continue to support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Siena also found that opioid addiction remains a top concern for state residents. Survey takers ranked it as the state's most serious public health problem, and 62 percent said they have been touched by opioid abuse in some way or another, up from 54 percent last year. Read the full story in the Times Union.