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How will Washington's ban on vapor products with vitamin E acetate be enforced?

Some local vape shop owners do not believe the ban will have a major impact on their business.

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Health banned vapor products containing vitamin E acetate after the CDC linked the substance to vaping-related illnesses.

But some local vape shop owners do not believe the ban will have a major impact on their business.

The owner of Kung Fu Vapes, John Dawson Junior, told KREM 2 one reason is they already made the decision to not sell any products with Vitamin E acetate.

"For customers and businesses in Washington state, I think it's only a benefit that this product has been cut out and outlawed just so we know that the products we are consuming are that much more legitimate and don't have any extra fillers or emulsifiers added," Dawson Junior said.

We asked the Washington State liquor and Cannabis board how this ban would be enforced, especially when most vapor products do not list the ingredients.

Communications Director Brian Smith said there are not as many regulations on tobacco vapor products compared to marijuana.

For that reason, he said the board will start enforcing the vitamin E acetate ban by educating tobacco retailers of the new restriction.

"We do not have a rule in place that we can directly point to," Smith said. "So our focus immediately and initially is the education of retailers and ensure these products that exist are coming off the shelves. On the marijuana side, we can ensure that any product with vitamin e acetate is no longer making it into the marketplace and we're in the midst of gathering that information now."

Looking ahead, the board is working on legislation with the state health department that would add more regulations over non-THC vapor and tobacco retailers. Smith expects the legislation to come forward in January 2020.

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