Trump’s plan to curb teen vaping exempts some flavors
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials will begin cracking down on most flavored ecigarettes that are popular with underage teenagers, but their plan includes major exceptions that benefit vaping manufacturers, retailers and adults who use the nicotine delivery devices.
The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will prohibit fruit, candy, mint and dessert flavors from small, cartridgebased ecigarettes that are popular with high school and middle school students. But menthol and tobaccoflavored ecigarettes will be allowed to remain on the market.
The flavor ban will also entirely exempt large, tankbased vaping devices, which are primarily sold in vape shops that cater to adult smokers.
Together, the two exemptions represent a significant retreat from President Donald Trump’s original plan announced four months ago, which would have banned all vaping flavors — including menthol — from all types of ecigarettes. The new policy will spare a significant portion of the multibilliondollar vaping market. And the changes mark a major victory for thousands of vape shop owners who sell the tankbased systems, which allow users to mix customized flavors.
Antitobacco advocates immediately condemned the decision to permit menthol and exempt tankbased vapes. They have lobbied the Trump administration to follow through on its initial pledge to ban all flavors except tobacco, arguing that teenagers who vape will simply shift to using menthol if it remains on the market.
“Only the elimination of all flavored ecigarettes can end the worsening youth ecigarette epidemic and stop ecigarette companies from luring and addicting kids with flavored products,” said Matthew Myers, of the Campaign for TobaccoFree Kids, in a statement.
Ecigarettes are batterypowered devices that typically heat a flavored nicotine solution into an inhalable aerosol. They have been pitched to adults as a lessharmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, but there is limited data on their ability to help smokers quit.
The Food and Drug Administration has struggled for years to find the appropriate approach to regulate vaping. No ecigarettes have yet won FDA approval, but the agency permits their sale under a policy called “enforcement discretion.” Under Thursday’s policy change, the FDA said it would begin targeting companies that continue to sell the prohibited flavored products.
Under current law, the FDA is scheduled to begin reviewing all ecigarettes in May. Only those that can demonstrate a benefit for U.S. public health will be permitted to stay on the market.
“We have to protect our families,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, ahead of the announcement. “At the same time, it’s a big industry. We want to protect the industry.”
The flavor restrictions apply to ecigarettes that use prefilled nicotine cartridges mainly sold at gas stations and convenience stores. Juul Labs is the biggest player in that market, but it previously pulled all of its flavors except menthol and tobacco after coming under intense political scrutiny. The small, discrete devices are the most popular brand among underage users.