BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin. J Walsh hopes his recent proposal will help crack down on teenage vaping in Boston.
Walsh announced a proposal Wednesday to restrict the sale of mint- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes to verified adult-only tobacco stores.
RELATED: Vaping-related illnesses on the rise in Massachusetts, officials say
The city is also supporting plans for a Boston Public Schools campaign aimed at preventing youth smoking and vaping.
Kristen Beauparlant, a Newburyport mother, said blames vaping for her son’s lung problems.
“I have a son who started vaping at about 14 or 15 years old,” Beauparlant said. “He began with a pretty significant cough.”
She said she watched as her son’s health deteriorated alongside his dreams.
“He had hopes of playing hockey in college and just physically could not keep up,” she said
There are 38 reported cases of respiratory issues linked to vaping in Massachusetts.
Five hundred and thirty-eight cases have been reported nationwide.
Seven people around the country have died from a lung disease that doctors say is linked to vaping.
“It is a public health issue,” Walsh said. “We want to address it before it becomes a true public health crisis and some would argue it is a public health crisis right now.”
“Most people start smoking with the flavor. It’s cooler on the lungs, it’s cooler in the throat,” Chief Marty Martinez of Boston Health and Human Services said. “Unfortunately, once you start, they’re very addictive because the amount of nicotine in them is large and in some cases more than the amount of nicotine in certain cigarettes.”
The city wants to hear from the public at a hearing on Nov. 7.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)