FDA Issues Ban on Some Flavored E-Cigarettes Following Deaths Linked to Vaping

A countrywide ban on some e-cigarette flavors has been announced in the US amid concerns about vaping among teens.

The FDA ban applies to mint, candy and fruit flavors that are offered in cartridge-based e-cigarettes, like the popular pods sold by Juul.

However, the US will continue to allow menthol and tobacco flavors, as well as fruit flavors delivered in other ways.

The action has been under consideration for more than a year, with several states passing similar rules.

Brazil, India and South Korea are among the dozens of countries that have announced sweeping vaping bans. Others, like China, have announced restrictions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the Trump administration wanted to continue to offer adults an alternative to traditional cigarettes, while responding to concerns about growing addiction to a new product among teens.

He said: “By prioritizing enforcement against the products that are most widely used by children, our action today seeks to strike the right public health balance.”

According to health regulators, 55 people have died and more than 2,500 people have been hospitalized with injuries linked to vaping.

Investigators have said they believe vitamin E acetate, which is sometimes added to marijuana vaping products, is playing a role.

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Citing the crisis, President Donald Trump said in September the US would ban all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco, but the administration loosened its position after pushback from the industry.

This week, President Trump said: “We have to protect our families. At the same time, it’s a big industry. We want to protect the industry.”

Juul, the biggest e-cigarette company in the US, had already pulled its flavored pods from the market, but the action taken on January 2 forces competitors to make a similar move, within 30 days.

Advocates for stricter rules have said that teens will switch to menthol if other options are eliminated.

However, officials said they would take steps against menthol and tobacco flavored e-cigarettes if the FDA sees that their use among teens is rising.

The age for purchasing tobacco products has been recently raised to 21. E-cigarettes are also governed by those rules.