Court issues restraining order allowing flavored e-cigarette sales in Yonkers
YONKERS, Westchester County (WABC) -- Flavored cigarettes are back on sale in Yonkers after an appellate court issued a temporary restraining order against the city.
Yonkers was the first municipality in New York to enact the ban, which took effect October 1.
Mike Bowers, the owner of Vape Cave YO, says the ban has devastated his business, with sales down 84%.
He disputes the argument that flavored additives to e-liquids are meant to entice teens to start vaping.
Bowers says the additives help adult smokers transition away from traditional cigarettes.
"You want fruity flavors, you want to get off tobacco," he said. "The products are not intended for kids. They're not intended for youth."
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano says the court issued the restraining order based on a technicality, which he says will be corrected.
"We've been successful as a generation in convincing kids that smoking is bad, and all of a sudden big tobacco has found an end-run," he said. "We want to make sure we keep the pressure on and to continue to tell young people that this is not a safe alternative."
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