New Jersey lawmakers to take up ban on flavored e-cigarettes

New Jersey lawmakers are set to consider legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes.

Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committees have scheduled hearings for Thursday on the measure, which was first called for by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy last month.

The push comes after a nationwide outbreak of vaping-related illnesses. More than 2,000 Americans who vape have gotten sick since March, many of them teenagers and young adults, and at least 40 people have died.

Federal health officials recently announced a breakthrough into the cause of a mysterious outbreak, reporting that vitamin E acetate was previously found in liquid from electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices used by many of those who got sick.

Several states, including New York, have banned flavored e-cigarettes, or considered prohibiting them