Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration is finalizing plans to pull all flavored e-cigarette cartridges from the market, leaving only the tobacco flavor, in an effort to discourage youth vaping.
Why it matters: The non-tobacco flavors — including mango, fruit and mint — are at the center of a dramatic rise in youth vaping that has schools and parents on widespread alert.
Timing: Azar met with President Trump and acting FDA commissioner Norman Sharpless at the White House on Wednesday morning to finalize the details of the potential ban.
- This announcement comes after first lady Melania Trump tweeted Monday about the dangers of e-cigarettes. It also coincides with the 1-year anniversary of the FDA declaring teenage use of e-cigarettes an epidemic.
Worth noting: Juul, one of the most popular e-cigarette brands, has already stopped selling flavored cartridges in retail stores that do not ask for age verification, but still sells several flavors online and in smoke shops.
What they're saying per a Juul spokesperson: "We strongly agree with the need for aggressive category-wide action on flavored products. We will fully comply with the final FDA policy when effective."
