Vaping ban limited to mint, fruit flavors

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it will ban fruit- and mint-flavored products used in e-cigarettes and vaping products while allowing vape shops to sell flavors from tankbased systems.

The FDA will begin enforcing the rule banning fruit and mint flavors within 30 days, and the regulatory agency will target companies that market to youths.

The flavoring ban does not apply to menthol and tobacco-flavored products.

Vaping shops won a concession that will temporarily allow them to sell flavors in stores from tank-based systems, which allow people to mix their own nicotine and vaping juice.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the rule aims to “strike the right public health balance” by targeting products widely used by children while allowing vaping as a “potential off-ramp” for adults who want to quit smoking.

The long-anticipated action comes amid a sharp rise in teenagers vaping nicotine and THC and a vaping-related lung injury epidemic that has hospitalized 2,561 and led to 55 deaths.

“We will not stand idly by as this crisis among America’s youth grows and evolves, and we will continue monitoring the situation and take further actions as necessary,” Azar said.

Public health and anti-tobacco groups criticized the plan as not going far enough to stem an emerging public health threat.

The American Heart Association said in a statement that permitting menthol and flavors from open tank systems to remain on the market would “leave a wide pathway for continued e-cigarette use among our nation’s children.”