FDA Tightens E-Cig Sales

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that e-cigarettes, also known as “vapes”, have created a teenage nicotine addiction epidemic. So before leaving office this upcoming July, current FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb is releasing new rules and regulations surrounding e-cigarette sales. The rules aim to limit such sales in order to fight against the serious consequences that come from using nicotine products.

Teens and E-Cigarettes

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than two-times the amount of teenagers vape than smoke traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes. On average, 1 in 4 high school students use e-cigarettes, along with approximately 1 in 14 middle school-aged children.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that teens who use e-cigs become three-times more likely to use tobacco products than non-users. Companies aggressively target teenage users, and more than 50% of adolescents say they are exposed to different kinds of retail ads for vape products on a regular basis.

The FDA’s New Rules

Gottlieb has talked about restricting vape and e-cigarette sales for more than a year. His proposal includes numerous restrictions, such as:

• New standards for age verification, especially for online sales (which are notorious for selling to – and sometimes even targeting – underage users);
• E-cigarette and other vape products will be forbidden in stores without areas designated for people 18-years-old and above, and;
• Companies that sell e-cigarettes will have to submit notice of the vape products they offer, so as to ensure that they are in compliance with the FDA’s standards

Gottlieb – along with the rest of the FDA – hope to make a positive impact on the number of children and teens who use e-cigarette products. By severely limiting online and in-person sales, the agency believes it can guard teens – at least in part – against the multitude of harms that are associated with vapes.

Hazards Associated with E-Cigs

Studies consistently indicate that when a person uses e-cigarette and vape products, that he or she is more likely to end up using traditional tobacco products. Other issues with vapes and e-cigarettes include:

• E-cigarettes contain numerous chemicals, including several that are still unknown. These chemicals can be harmful to a person’s health in many ways, depending on what they are. Some are carcinogens, or known cancer-causing agents;
• Vape pens and e-cigarettes can be physically dangerous. People have experienced a range of serious – and permanent – injuries associated with defective and/or unreasonably dangerous vape pens, and:
• E-cigarettes can have adverse effects when it comes to quitting smoking. Although some people believe they can be good quitting aids, studies indicate the opposite.

Between 2017 and 2018, more than 1.5 million new teen users picked up e-cigarettes. With the FDA’s new rules being implemented in the near future, we can only hope that they aid in decreasing the number of future tobacco users. We will continue to update our readers as the story develops, though the FDA plans to have the new rules in place by August of 2021.

If you have any questions or concerns about an illness or injury you sustained associated with e-cigarettes or any kind of vape product, please contact a representative at our firm directly who can help.

Philadelphia Product Liability Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP Represent Individuals Injured by Electronic Cigarettes

If you sustained injuries or became ill as a result of an electronic cigarette – also known as “e-cigarettes” or “vapes”, please contact our Philadelphia product liability lawyers at Galfand Berger. With offices located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To schedule a consultation, call us at 800-222-8792 or complete our online contact form.