Health authorities have warned online retailers to stop marketing e-cigarettes to children to “urgently protect public health.”
This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to ten online retailers for selling unauthorized e-cigarette products to children.
The agency named popular products under the brand names Elf Bar, EB Design, Bang, Cali Bars and Lava.
The warning comes at a time when 2.1 million American teenagers smoke and half of those trying to become addicted.
The FDA sent warning letters to 10 online retailers for selling illegal e-cigarettes and selling them to children. Elf Bar is one of the most popular brands mentioned in the letters
The vast majority of teenage vapers in 2023 chose fruit or candy flavored vaping products
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Youth Tobacco Survey found that half of current youth e-cigarette users smoke disposable products like Elf Bar.
The CDC’s annual youth tobacco survey is a nationally representative sample of tobacco use, and trends over the past four years have shown that while numbers are at historic lows, more young people are turning to tobacco in electric vehicles.
Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said: “FDA’s rigorous oversight of the e-cigarette landscape helps us identify products that appeal to youth and act quickly to protect public health. “
READ MORE: FDA tells 180 stores to stop selling Elf Bar vapes after report shows illegal e-cigarettes are top seller and poisoning children
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered more than 180 stores nationwide to stop selling fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes.
“The goal is to identify, prevent and reduce these risks to our nation’s youth before they escalate further.”
Recipients of the letter will have 15 business days to indicate what steps they will take to correct the violation and prevent future violations, the FDA said.
“Failure to promptly correct violations may result in further FDA action, such as cease-and-desist orders, seizures, and/or civil penalties,” the agency said.
It added: “As always, we will hold accountable anyone who sells unauthorized e-cigarettes that are labeled, advertised and/or designed to encourage use by young people.”
Proponents of the anti-smoking policy believe the government can and should do more to discourage young people from buying and using e-cigarettes.
Matthew Myers, the former president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and a vocal critic of the administration’s approach, told DailyMail.com in the past that the current youth e-cigarette crisis is a product of A combination of shyness and dissatisfaction “is the tobacco crisis”. The industry is fighting regulation at every stage.”
One of the rules that anti-smoking and e-cigarette advocates have fought for is a national standard limit for the amount of nicotine allowed in e-cigarettes.
The maximum permissible nicotine content in a vapor is set at 20 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid (two percent) in Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada. These devices hold about 550 to 600 trains.
But in the US, where you can easily find a vaporizer with up to five percent nicotine, these levels have been steadily increasing for some time. An Elf Bar BC5000 device, which contains five percent nicotine, can hold about 5,000 puffs.
Flavors like cotton candy and strawberry lemonade, which are popular with young consumers, compound the problem with highly addictive e-cigarettes.
Highly potent e-cigarettes are highly addictive. Of all the young people who tried it, almost half became regular users.
Nearly nine in 10 teen vapers used the flavored products that advocates and many lawmakers have called for a ban in 2023, according to the fact that children’s use of flavored products increased 83 percent in 2020.
Last year, the FDA sent more than 400 warning letters to retailers about selling illegal cigarettes.
In June, the agency ordered 180 US stores to stop selling fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes, including Elf and Esco Bars.
Ann Simoneau, director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said, “CTP will continue to closely monitor everyone in the supply chain, including retailers, for compliance with federal laws.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
