SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Department of Health has passed an emergency rule to require warning notices about vaping THC cartridges at vape shops in Utah and restricting access to flavored juices.
The rule, announced Wednesday morning, requires all tobacco retailers to post notices warning about vaping cartridges that contain THC (even though they are not legally allowed to sell them in Utah). It also restricts the sale of flavored juices in vaping and e-cigarette supplies to licensed specialty tobacco stores.
Most vape shops, which are licensed as specialty tobacco stores, are regulated by local health departments and the emergency rule gives them increased oversight. Non-specialty tobacco stores include convenience stores and grocery stores. The Utah Department of Health's edict requires them to cease selling flavored products within a week.
The ruling comes shortly after health officials announced that many of the cases of vaping-related lung illnesses in Utah involved patients who consumed unregulated THC through vaping.
The agency reported 71 cases of vaping-related illness so far, with another 10 under investigation. The Utah State Legislature has also begun looking at whether vaping needs to be more regulated.
