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 President Donald Trump and top U.S. officials expressed concern
about surging teenage use of e-cigarettes, and the move comes as
health officials are investigating a handful of deaths and
potentially hundreds of lung illnesses tied to vaping.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that, with
Trump's blessing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was working
on a "guidance document" that would lead to a ban of all e-cigarette
flavors aside from tobacco flavoring.
"Once the FDA would finalize this guidance, we would begin
enforcement actions to remove all such products from the
marketplace," Azar told reporters during a meeting with the
president and first lady Melania Trump in the Oval Office.
The ban would include mint and menthol flavoring as well as bubble
gum, candy, fruit, alcohol and other flavors, he said.
Tobacco flavoring would be allowed to remain, subject to companies'
filing for approval from the FDA. Even that would be at risk if the
government determined children were attracted to it or that it was
being marketed to them, Azar said.
The move is the most sweeping action yet by the U.S. government to
crack down on what it has called an "epidemic" of youth e-cigarette
usage.
The FDA in March formally proposed guidelines that would prohibit
the sale of flavored e-cigarette products, except mint and menthol,
in traditional retail outlets. Under that proposal, which had not
been finalized, e-cigarette makers could still sell flavored
products online and in age-restricted stores, such as vape shops.
Wednesday’s proposal goes much further, banning the sale of all
flavored e-cigarette products across all retail channels, aside from
tobacco-flavored products.
Despite the increased public attention around teenage e-cigarette
use over the last year, HHS on Wednesday pointed to data showing
that the problem has worsened. Preliminary data shows more than a
quarter of U.S. high school students used e-cigarettes in the past
30 days. That is up from 20.8% last year and 11.7% in 2017.
Six deaths have been linked to vaping and U.S. public health
officials are investigating 450 cases of potential vaping-related
lung illness across 33 states and one U.S. territory. Health
officials have cited patients’ use of cannabis liquids in many,
though not all, of those cases, some of which only involved nicotine
vaping.
"We have a problem in our country, it's a new problem ... and it's
called vaping, especially vaping as it pertains to innocent
children," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "There have been
deaths and there have been a lot of other problems."
SURGE IN USE BY ADOLESCENTS
Juul Labs Inc, which dominates the U.S. e-cigarette market, has
faced withering criticism over the last two years after becoming
wildly popular among teenagers. The company has taken steps to try
to reduce its appeal among youth, including pulling flavors except
mint and menthol from traditional retail stores, suspending its
social media accounts and toughening age verification online.
In December, Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc <MO.N> made a $12.8
billion investment in Juul, taking a 35% stake.
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Juul spokesman Ted Kwong said "we strongly agree with the need for
aggressive category-wide action on flavored products," adding the
company "will fully comply with the final FDA policy when
effective."
A spokesman for Imperial Brands Plc <IMB.L>, which sells the Blu
line of e-cigarettes, declined to comment.
Kaelan Hollon, a spokeswoman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co <BATS.L>,
which sells Vuse e-cigarettes in the United States, did not directly
address the proposed flavor ban but said the company shares the
administration's goal of keeping products away from youth.
Wednesday's move by the White House comes after more than a year of
mounting pressure from lawmakers, public health advocates and
parents looking to end marketing of products aimed at youth.
In recent months state and local governments have also stepped in.
In June, San Francisco approved a ban on the sale of all e-cigarette
products, and last week Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced
plans to ban flavored e-cigarettes in her state.
A nationwide investigation led by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the FDA has not definitively linked the
illnesses to any specific e-cigarette product or ingredient,
although health officials have expressed suspicions about the
effects of inhaling vitamin E acetate, which is contained in some
THC vaping products.
The FDA has urged consumers to avoid inhaling vitamin E acetate,
buying vaping products on the street, using marijuana-derived oil
with the products or modifying a store-bought vape product.
While e-cigarettes are marketed as tools to help smokers quit,
health officials believe some companies are attracting a new
generation of nicotine users.
Azar said recent data showed a surge in adolescent usage of
e-cigarettes and that youth were drawn to flavors including mint and
menthol. About 8 million U.S. adults use such cigarettes and 5
million children were doing so as well.
"This is exceptionally harmful to our children," he said. "An entire
generation of children risk becoming addicted to nicotine because of
the attractiveness ... and availability of these vaping products."
E-cigarette makers will still have the chance to demonstrate their
flavored products serve a public health purpose.
All such companies are required to submit applications to the FDA by
next May demonstrating their products and proposed flavors provide a
net public health benefit. The FDA, after reviewing those
applications, could authorize companies to sell flavored products if
the agency is satisfied with the proposals.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington and Chris Kirkham in Los
Angeles; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Lisa Lambert in
Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Matthew Lewis)
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