South Bend Tribune
In another step to cut back on teenage vaping, the Food and Drug Administration recently announced it will ban the sale of sweet electronic cigarette flavors at gas stations and convenience stores.
It’s a welcome move in the vaping battle after FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said e-cigarette use among teens had reached “epidemic” proportions.
FDA data show youth vaping is up 75 percent over last year.
Though sweet flavors are being banned, e-cigarettes will still be available at those places in tobacco, mint and menthol. The FDA also plans stricter age-verfication requirements for online sales of e-cigs.
The ban comes after the FDA sent nearly 1,200 letters to stores and online retailers warning they could be fined for selling e-cigarettes to people younger than 18. Beyond the fines, notices were sent out to the leading manufacturers requiring them to submit plans within 60 days detailing ways to curb sales to underage consumers. But the manufacturers couldn’t prove they were doing enough to keep e-cigs out of the hands of teens.
Sweet flavors such as bubble gum and chocolate chip cookie dough are especially attractive to young people. Many believe those flavors attract teens to vaping which then serves as a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes.
The use of any type of tobacco product by teens is unsafe because experts say the nicotine is both addictive and damaging to developing brains, said Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute.
Overall, Indiana ranks 34th in the country in kids health, Silverman said.
“We can, and must, do better,” she said. “We will not change these trends without investing in our kids and our communities.”
Little is known about the possible long-term health effects of vaping. More research is needed before it can be determined e-cigarettes are much safer than traditional cigarettes.
We do know nicotine is a highly addictive substance that has been linked to health problems, especially heart disease, and that vaping among teens is a troubling trend that needs to be reversed. The ban of sweet-flavored juices is a step that could help.
Send comments to [email protected].