Trump Administration Reportedly Looking To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

Published on September 11, 2019

Say goodbye to your Juul. The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it is looking to ban all non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes and remove them from stores around the country within 30 days. The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise on Wednesday morning despite the ongoing controversy over whether or not products like Juul are safe for public health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly working with the Trump administration to move forward with a ban on the flavored products.

Flavored electronic cigarette products such as Juul have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. Public health officials have raised concern over the products, citing that a lack of research does not prove that the products are safe for consumption. Further, electronic cigarette and vapor companies have been accused of trying to get teens and young adults addicted to their product with candy flavored nicotine vapor. What originally started as an alternative to smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products quickly grew into an epidemic of nicotine addicted teens puffing on clouds of cotton candy flavored e-cigarettes.

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would be finalizing a guidance with the Food and Drug Administration to take all flavored electronic cigarettes off of store shelves within 30 days. The latest reason for the FDA to go after flavored electronic cigarettes is a mysterious lung disease that the FDA says is tied to vaping. Thus far, the disease has killed at least six people. In the future, electronic cigarette companies may be granted the opportunity to put their flavored products back on the shelves. That is, however, if they can comply with the FDA and get the products approved before they hit stores.

The FDA Vs. Juul

The Food and Drug Administration has been in a longstanding battle with electronic cigarette companies like Juul in recent years. Recent changes to laws regarding how e-cigarette and other nicotine products can be advertised targeted Juul indirectly. The company, which started as a way for adults to quit smoking cigarettes without having to give up on the habit cold turkey, became popular among teens and young adults that were never smokers to begin with because of their sleek design.

The products, which contain nicotine, are partially responsible for a major spike in nicotine addiction among teens over the last decade. In 2010 only 1.5% of high school students reported having used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days. By 2018, that number saw a rise as 26.7% of high school students reported to using an e-cigarette in the last 30 days, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services.

New regulations on the way companies like Juul are allowed to advertise hope to have an impact on the way consumers look at the product. Though Juul has been compliant in the FDA’s efforts to keep the products out of kids’ hands, the FDA still clearly feels a need to intervene over concerns for public safety.

 

Julia Sachs is a former Managing Editor at Grit Daily. She covers technology, social media and disinformation. She is based in Utah and before the pandemic she liked to travel.

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