As authorities investigate whether the death of a 27-year-old Mississippi woman was related to vaping, Attorney General Jim Hood said Thursday he wants to ban vaping devices in the state.

At the very least, Hood said, the Legislature should pass a law regulating their use.

Hood held a press conference hours after the Center Disease Control and Prevention announced that "530 people have experienced lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products," including several deaths.

According to the Monroe County coroner, the death of 27-year-old woman Tuesday is believed to be vaping-related. Her autopsy was Thursday morning, and a state health official cautioned it was "premature" to say the death was related to vaping.

The number of vaping-related illnesses nationally has risen dramatically in recent weeks, and Hood called it a "train wreck that we saw happen."

"They call it vape rooms now instead of bathrooms," Hood said of high school students.

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Preliminary federal data for 2019 says more than 27 percent of high schoolers have used e-cigarettes, and Hood believes that's true for Mississippi.

"I bet you at least 25 percent of the kids, if you open their backpack or purse and they're 16 years old or so, you're gonna find one in four are gonna have some kind of vaping product," Hood said.

According to the CDC, the people affected by vaping-related illnesses are predominantly male and under the age of 35.

"I agree with the President," Hood said. "We ought to just ban them."

Hood was referencing reports last week that the administration of Donald Trump wanted to ban the sale of flavored vaping products.

Hood said his office drafted two bills to regulate — not ban — vaping that state lawmakers then introduced in the Senate and the House. Both died without a committee hearing.

Hood, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said he wants to reintroduce that legislation if elected governor this year.

He also linked Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, the Republican nominee for governor, to both bills being quashed.

As lieutenant governor, Reeves did oversee the Senate.

When asked how he knew that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves quashed bills, Hood offered no proof and said reporters would have to ask Reeves about that.

Parker Briden, a spokesman for Reeves, said Hood was trying to "blame Republicans for everything."

"There's a whole legislature at work, and Tate didn't kill that bill," Briden said in a statement. "(Reeves) recognizes we must deal with this new issue in a way that protects children's safety. Hood's conspiracy theories and partisan blame games are just another sad episode of his typical Democrat campaign strategy."

A handout from Hood's campaign said Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has accepted more than $130,000 in campaign contributions from tobacco and vaping companies and officials since 2009.

A spokeswoman for Hood said Hood has accepted $16,000 from tobacco companies during his time as attorney general.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.