FDA to Enact New Restrictions on E-cigarette Flavors

E-cigarette critics believe some flavors are marketed to children.

You have to be 21 to buy tobacco at Walgreens
You will soon have to be 21-years-old to buy tobacco products at Walgreens. (Getty)
Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration announced its plans to add new restrictions on e-cigarette flavors in an effort to curb “epidemic levels” of teen use.

A ban on the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes in convenience stores and gas stations is expected to be announced by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb as early as next week, CNN reported. The agency will also impose age-verification restrictions on e-cigarette internet sales, as well.

“E-cigs have become an almost ubiquitous — and dangerous — trend among teens,” Gottlieb said in September. “The disturbing and accelerating trajectory of use we’re seeing in youth, and the resulting path to addiction, must end. It’s simply not tolerable.”

The FDA estimates that some 2 million middle and high school students were e-cigarette smokers in 2017, surpassing tobacco use.

The e-cigarette community touts its products as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes but the science on that is yet to be determined.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.