Washington state passed an emergency rule that bans the sale of flavored vaping products as of Thursday.

The ban lasts 120 days, according to the Washington State Board of Health, and comes in response to a nationwide outbreak of lung injuries associated with e-cigarette use or vaping.

"This is a critical part of our response to the youth vaping epidemic and the outbreak of vaping associated lung injury in Washington and throughout the country," said Washington Secretary of Health John Wiesman, who is also a member of the board.

In September, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced an executive order directing the Washington State Department of Health to adopt emergency rules to ban all flavored vaping products, including those that contain nicotine and THC, at their next meeting.

"My executive order also directs the department and the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to do the following: First, immediately ban any ingredients or sources that are found to be the cause of this acute lung illness," Gov. Inslee said during a news conference last month.

There are at least 805 lung injury cases reported in 46 states and the US Virgin Islands, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late last month.

Twenty-four deaths have been confirmed in 20 states: three in California, two in Kansas, two in Oregon, and one each from Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The specific chemical exposure causing lung injuries associated with e-cigarette use currently remains unknown, according to the CDC.

There are signs that point to a majority of patients vaping THC products. 


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