Vape Crackdown: FDA To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

The Washington Post reports:

The Food and Drug Administration, alarmed by a huge increase in vaping among minors, is expected to impose severe restrictions on the sale of most e-cigarettes products throughout the United States — actions that will likely have a significant impact on an industry that has grown exponentially in recent years with little government oversight.

As soon as next week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is expected to announce a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes — the majority of vaping products sold — in tens of thousands of convenience stores and gas stations across the country, according to senior agency officials.

According to its officials, the agency will also impose such rules as age-verification requirements for online sales. Gottlieb’s actions are focused on a specific kind of vaping product that dominates the market — e-cigarettes that use prepackaged flavor cartridges, or pods. That includes the wildly popular vaping products by Juul Labs.

Menthol-flavored e-cigarettes will continue to be allowed because the FDA already permits menthol in traditional cigarettes.