State Bill Would Tax Vaping Products At The Same Rate As Cigarettes

Vaping products would be taxed the same as traditional cigarettes under an amendment to a state Senate bill. Lawmakers have for years treated e-cigarettes differently, in part because they have been viewed as less dangerous.

That theory got a jolt this year after an outbreak of lung injuries associated with vaping hit more than 1,000 people nationwide. It's being blamed for at one fatality in Guilford County. Those illnesses have been primarily linked to illicit products containing THC, according to the national Centers for Disease Control.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the amendment submitted by Representative Gale Adcock, a Democrat from Wake County, has cleared a House committee but faces an uncertain future in the General Assembly.

Several anti-tobacco groups support raising the tax on vaping products. But the measure would likely face opposition from some in the tobacco industry. And some lawmakers see a public-health benefit of vaping products as a means of helping smokers quit traditional cigarette use.