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FDA Chief Considers Ban of All Flavored E-Cigarettes (wsj.com)
Calling a surge in teen use of e-cigarettes an epidemic, the head of the Food and Drug Administration says he is considering pulling all flavored e-cigarettes from the U.S. market. From a report: After years of declining U.S. smoking rates, sales of e-cigarettes have jumped in the past year, fueled in part by online startups selling vaporizers and nicotine-laced liquids. The most popular brand, Juul, sells refills with mango, cucumber and creme flavors. Each $4 pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. "The number of teenagers we believe are now using these products... has reached an epidemic proportion," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who is expected to announce new measures Wednesday to curb underage use. Dr. Gottlieb said he believes that certain flavors make the products appealing to teens. "The availability of e-cigarettes cannot come at the expense of addicting a new generation of youth onto nicotine, and it won't," he said in an interview. Alternative source, and official announcement.
It's really baffling that these e-cigarettes have nicotine in the first place. Isn't it obvious that including that ingredient is specifically done to create addiction? With tobacco at least one could argue that it's a natural part of the product, but by adding it to e-cigs CLEARLY shows the intention of the manufacturers to get people addicted. If you want e-cigs to help smokers stop smoking, that's one thing, but to have it generally available to everyone is just crazy.