FDA Expected to Ban Most Flavored E-Cigarette Pods
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Cascade:
FDA expected to ban most flavored e-cigarette pods:
All flavored e-cigarette pods except menthol and tobacco are expected to be banned by the Food and Drug Administration, which could announce the plans this week, according to the Wall Street Journal and [The] New York Times.
The flavored pod ban would be a step back from the nearly complete flavored vape ban the Trump administration initially floated back in September, as lung injuries from vaping were on the rise. There are two notable changes: menthol flavoring would be allowed, in addition to tobacco; and the flavor ban would only be applied to pods - flavored nicotine liquids could still be sold for open tank systems, according to the reports.
The ban is meant to curb the rise in teenage vaping. Because open systems are seen as less popular among teens, the administration is focusing on pods - like those used by Juul - which are believed to be driving teen usage. The exemption is also a response to some odd political pushback: after the initial call for a broad flavor ban, vaping groups claimed that such a ban would hurt President Trump electorally in 2020. The messaging apparently worked.
[...] Juul has already stopped selling all flavored pods except menthol and tobacco in anticipation of the ban, but the ban would still cut out flavored pods from competitors, like Njoy, which offers watermelon and blueberry nicotine pods.
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