U.S. FDA announces ban on most flavored vape
On the morning of January 3rd, Beijing time, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday that it will ban most fruit and mint-flavored nicotine vape to curb the use of vape by young people.
The FDA said that under the new rules, which will take effect 30 days later, if the company does not stop selling flavored vapes that appeal to children, it will face government enforcement actions. In addition, if the company's products are aimed at children, or if "adequate measures" are not taken to prevent the products from reaching children, then regulatory action will also be faced. The company can still sell tobacco and menthol flavored e-liquid Cartomizers to adults who use vape to quit smoking.
"At present, the use of vape among young people is increasing, and this has never happened in the United States. HHS is taking a comprehensive approach and is actively working on it," said US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar in a statement on Thursday. Enforce a law passed by Congress. Under this law, no vape can legally enter the market. "
The FDA specifically bans boxed nicotine Cartomizers similar to those provided by Juul, but allows vape stores to continue selling tinned e-liquid in cans. When using the latter, users need to populate the Cartomizer manually.
In recent years, the use of vape in American teens has grown rapidly, and vape has also led to mysterious lung diseases that have killed 55 people in 27 states. The Trump administration originally announced last September that it planned to ban flavoring of vape, but delayed the introduction of final rules after vigorous lobbying in the tobacco and vape industries.
Hazard told reporters on a telephone call on Thursday that the FDA allowed the sale of tobacco and menthol flavored vape because it was "less attractive" for children. According to two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in November, more than half of adolescents use Juul's vape, and the mint flavor is their favorite flavor.
Juul is partly owned by tobacco giant Altria. Shortly after the research was published, the company voluntarily stopped selling mint-flavored vape.
Public health experts in the United States have long supported the government's ban on the sale of flavored vapes that appeal to teens. But there are also concerns that if fruit-flavored vapes are no longer sold, children may eventually switch to menthol.
"Smoke-free children's movement" chairman Matthew Myers said: "Only banning all flavored vapes can solve the problem of using vapes by young people and prevent vape companies from using flavoring products to attract children. "
US government officials say the ban has little to do with lung disease caused by vape. Hazard said the Trump administration sees vape-induced lung disease as "another problem" because public health officials have found that most patients have used THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) -based vape product. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most patients with lung disease have reported that they have used THC. This is an active ingredient in cannabis.
"Any child should not use nicotine products," government officials said repeatedly on Thursday's conference call.
The ban has little effect on industry leader Juul. Under scrutiny, the company has stopped selling flavored vapes in the United States, but does not include flavors such as menthol, Virginia tobacco, and classic tobacco. That could hit Juul's rival NJOY. The latter could have benefited from a market that Juul had abandoned.
The new FDA regulations represent the latest U.S. government initiative to combat youth use of vape. Trump signed a law last December banning the sale of cigarettes, vape, cigars and other tobacco products to people under the age of 21.
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