Kinney Drugs has announced some changes as part of their ongoing effort to promote responsible access to tobacco and further support efforts to prevent youth access to tobacco products.

Kinney will no longer sell electronic cigarettes or vaping products in their Vermont retail stores effective July 1 and in their New York retail stores effective August 1st.

Officials say the decision is in response to statistics demonstrating that those products are increasingly being used by teens and children.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use among children grew nearly 38% between 2017 and 2018, driven largely by a surge in e-cigarette use, which increased 78% among high school students and 48% among middle school-aged children.

“We would like to thank Kinney Drugs for taking this important step,” said Franklin Fry, Executive Director of the American Heart Association in Syracuse. “Actions like this can help prevent our children from starting a deadly habit.”

More From WIBX 950