NEWS
DEMOCRATS PUSH FOR OUTRIGHT FLAVOUR BAN
America ’ s vape market has become increasingly restrictive in the past two years
Words : Gordon Stribling
D emocratic lawmakers in the US have written to the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) to urge the regulator to remove all flavoured vape products from the market . The 43 House Democrats sent the letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock on March 23 . The agency is reviewing thousands of Premarket Tobacco Product Applications ( PMTAs ) from companies seeking authority to market their products in the States . The letter , drafted by state representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz ( Florida ) and Diana DeGette ( Colorado ) said : “ Flavoured e-cigarettes are putting a new generation of kids at risk of nicotine addiction and the serious health harms that result from tobacco use .” The lawmakers are also calling for the current exemption for menthol and disposable products to be removed , which would leave only tobacco-flavoured products on the market . Disposables like the Puff Bar have got around the pod flavour ban and are often advertised as containing synthetically-derived nicotine . The signatories also want to prohibit marketing that appeals to minors . They wrote : “ Today , e-cigarette use by youth remains at what FDA calls ‘ epidemic proportions ’ and e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco products among youth since 2014 – and flavours are a key reason why . “ We strongly recommend that the FDA ’ s premarket review process requires manufacturers to provide convincing evidence that their products do not increase youth use of nicotine and tobacco in ways that increase the risk of abuse and addiction among youth .” America ’ s vape market has become increasingly restrictive in the past two years , with city , state and federal regulators battling to control a ‘ youth vaping epidemic .’ Data from the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that youth use of any tobacco product is in decline after a rise in e-cigarette use in previous years .
“ E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco products among youth since 2014 – and flavours are a key reason why .”
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