COLUMBIA, S.C. — Vaping and e-cigarettes are making headlines lately for concerns about deaths, lung illnesses and other health concerns.
This week, a South Carolina lawmaker said she would propose a bill to ban flavored e-cigarette and vaping products. The proposal already has bipartisan support in the South Carolina House.
Democratic S.C. House representative Beth Bernstein said she would pre-file the bill for consideration in December.
At Dab City Tobacco and Vape in Columbia, manager Ricky Bell said he's been vaping for 10 years, which he said helped him quit smoking cigarettes.
Bell continued recent concerns over health issues associated with vaping and e-cigarettes are because of bad products.
“It's when people use black market counterfeit things, that's when the issue comes in. Like I said, I've never had any health issues from me personally vaping. But, when you go into the black market, counterfeit and buying other things that's when the problems come, because you're not sure what's in those,” Bell said behind the counter at the store.
Bell added that he does understand at least one state lawmaker's suggestion to raise the required age to 21.
“Do I support maybe raising the age? Yeah, if that'll make people take vaping more serious and show that vaping does help people stop smoking,” Bell said.
Bell claims since he switched to vaping he feels healthier and more in shape.
The United States Centers for Disease Control writes on its website e-cigarettes have the potential to benefit adults whom switch from smoking.
But, the CDC also writes the method is not FDA approved as a quit smoking aid and warns young adults, pregnant women, and non-smokers not to use the products.
In an update into investigations of illnesses, the CDC has found no consistent substance, product, or additive in the 380 cases and six deaths of lung illness it writes is linked to e-cigarettes and vaping.
Vaping customer Cameron Golson calls the crackdown on e-cigarettes and vaping hypocritical.
“People are saying that vaping is like bad and everything like that. But they're trying to ban something that hasn't caused many problems. But yet, there's been like-- cigarettes have been around and caused cancer, people actually have been dying from it,” Golson said.
Golson, like Bell, also said health concerns related to vaping and e-cigarettes are being blamed on the entire industry, instead of illegal or improper use.
Golson, also like Bell, supports raising the age for any e-cigarette or vaping to 21. Golson told WLTX he began vaping at around 15 or 16-years-old.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said there are 3 confirmed cases of severe pulmonary disease related to e-cigarette and vaping products in the state, and it’s investigating 8 more potential cases.