President Trump considering ban on flavored e-cigarettes

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - President Trump on Wednesday proposed a ban on flavored electronic cigarettes as more people get sick from a mysterious respiratory illness.

The president made the announcement from the Oval Office flanked by First Lady Melania Trump, the Health and Human Services secretary and the acting FDA commissioner. 

Trump acknowledged that vaping is big business, but said more than 450 percent recent reports of lung ailments and at least six deaths associated with vaping are alarming. 

"We can't allow people to get sick, and we can't have our youth be so affected." 

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar laid out a timeline. 

"It'll take several weeks for us to put out the final guidance that will announce all the parameters around the enforcement policy. And then there will likely be a 30-day effective date, as is customary with FDA good guidance practices," Azar said. 

At that point, all e-cigarettes that are not tobacco flavored would have to be pulled from store shelves. Tobacco flavored vaping product makers would have until May 2020 to file for FDA approval to continue sales. 

San Francisco's ban on vaping products specifically calls for the products to undergo FDA approval. 

Supervisor Shamann Walton co-authored the legislation with the city attorney and says San Francisco's ban has made everyone take a closer look at e-cigarettes. 

"We have made sure that everyone can see the impacts and effects of what e-cigarettes can do to harm communities," Walton said.

Sam Francisco is also considering Proposition C aimed at replacing the city's ban with what it calls reasonable regulation. 

The 'Yes on C' campaign released a statement that read in part, " We support any effort, locally, statewide or federally to keep flavored nicotine & tobacco products off the shelves and out of the hands of kids."