Forty-three members of Congress urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take all flavored e-cigarettes off the market. In a letter to acting FDA commissioner, Janet Woodcock, the lawmakers stated they want FDA to ban all flavored e-cigarettes upon further review and get rid of the exemption for menthol and disposable e-cigarettes. They also want a ban on premarket tobacco applications and the marketing of e-cigarettes that target minors.
In a draft letter, lawmakers expressed their main concern as the effect of e-cigarettes on minors. “Flavored 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 letter stated. “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 flavors are a key reason why. We strongly recommend that FDA’s premarket review process require 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.”