FDA announces crackdown on e-cigarettes in bid to reduce teenage vaping

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tabled new regulations1 that will make it harder to buy e-cigarettes, the flavoured liquids within them, and menthol versions of traditional cigarettes.

The rule change was announced on 15 November by FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who said the purpose was to make nicotine products “less accessible and less appealing to children.”

The fact that nearly 90% of Americans who smoke start doing so before the age of 18 has driven the decision. Additionally, new data from the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey show “a 78% increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students” in the past year, Gottlieb said. The sweet flavours of vaporised products and the ease with which they can be …