Trump administration announces crackdown on vape flavors in effort to curb youth nicotine use

In an effort to combat youth nicotine consumption, the Trump administration will move forward on a plan to ban most e-cigarette flavors from store shelves. At an Oval Office meeting on vaping and youth e-cigarette use, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that the administration would finalize a rule to ban most e-cigarette flavors.

An HHS news release following the announcement explained that the FDA will finalize a policy to clear the market of “unauthorized, non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products.”

“We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth,” Azar said in a statement.

Under the forthcoming policy, Azar explained at the White House, companies would have to get approval to re-introduce flavored e-cigarette products to the market.

“Once finalized, this compliance policy will serve as a powerful tool that the FDA can use to combat the troubling trend of youth e-cigarette use,” said acting acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless. “The tremendous progress we’ve made in reducing youth tobacco use in the U.S. is jeopardized by this onslaught of e-cigarette use.”