DETROIT – Michigan will become the first state in the nation to ban flavored vape products in a move Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said is aimed at protecting youth.

The ban, which will be imposed by the state Department of Health and Human Services through direction from Whitmer, prohibits online and retail sales of flavored nicotine vaping products.

The move comes not by executive order from Whitmer but through Michigan's administrative rules process, which allows state agencies to create regulations or policies that, once authorized, act as laws.

The vaping ban has not been filed but will be effective immediately once it's completed in a few weeks. At that point, the ban will last six months and will give Michigan businesses 30 days to comply.

The state health agency found that youth vaping constitutes a public health emergency, according to a statement from Whitmer.

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“As governor, my number one priority is keeping our kids safe,” Whitmer said in a statement. “And right now, companies selling vaping products are using candy flavors to hook children on nicotine and misleading claims to promote the belief that these products are safe. That ends today. Our kids deserve leaders who are going to fight to protect them. These bold steps will finally put an end to these irresponsible and deceptive practices and protect Michiganders’ public health.”

Last week, the health department announced it was investigating six lung infections tied to e-cigarette and vape use.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking into the national wave of e-cigarette-related lung illnesses that have affected about 215 people across 25 states, as of Aug. 27. One person in Illinois died of the illness.

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration reported that about 3.62 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes. A survey on e-cigarette use in 2013 and 2014 found that 81% of young e-cigarette users said the appealing flavor options were a major reason for their use.

Whitmer's ban will prohibit e-cigarette companies from "misleading marketing of vaping products" by using words such as "clear," "safe" or "healthy" to describe their products.

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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised Whitmer's announcement in a statement Wednesday, pledging her department's support in enforcing the coming rules.

"With a more than 1.5 million increase in the number of students using vaping products in just one year, the governor's emergency actions today are exactly the bold measures we must take to protect Michigan's children from the dangerous effects of vaping," Nessel said in a statement.

Though the governor's move is supported by health organizations and fellow Democrats, vaping advocates vowed to challenge the ban.

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"This shameless attempt at backdoor prohibition will close down several hundred Michigan small businesses and could send tens of thousands of ex-smokers back to deadly combustible cigarettes," American Vaping Association President Gregory Conley said in a statement. "These businesses and their customers will not go down without a fight."

Conley said Michigan's action will "create a massive, multimillion dollar black market" for vaping products, and the American Vaping Association will support any lawsuits against the ban.

The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association urged Michigan residents to call and write Whitmer and state lawmakers in opposition to the ban.

Michigan already banned sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

Follow Emma Keith on Twitter: @emma_ckeith