Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a four-month ban of all vape product sales in the state on Tuesday, citing hundreds of mysterious lung injuries associated with e-cigarettes and vaping, and a handful of deaths.
According to the CDC, many patients reported using marijuana vape products.
Shaleen Title, commissioner of the state's Cannabis Control Commission, told WGBH News Wednesday morning the ban will only further push people to the illicit market, which is precisely what the CDC is investigating as the cause of the illnesses.
But medical ethicist Arthur Caplan told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday the governor's temporary ban makes sense.
"Absolutely, you've got a basically catastrophe taking place. It's poorly understood, no one knows quite what's going on, so I think you have to step in and say we've got to control this new thing," he said.
The CDC recommended people refrain from using vape products altogether, and warned against purchasing products off the street.
"The vaping industry's just in trouble," said Caplan. "I don't know how long it's going to take the FDA to get there, but they're just in trouble."
Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. He's also the co-host of the everyday ethics podcast.
