The drastic, immediate rise in menthol e-cigarette sales following policies curbing the sale of other flavored products reveals that industry self-regulation and incomplete flavor bans don’t work. Comprehensive regulation of e-cigarettes is needed to protect young people.
“The lack of comprehensive e-cigarette restrictions continues to put the health of America’s young people at risk. In light of high youth vaping rates and mounting concerns that smoking and vaping may increase risk of severe complications from COVID-19, comprehensive FDA regulation of e-cigarettes remains as critical as ever,” the authors write.
A separate Truth Initiative analysis shows that another product type exempted from federal restrictions has also been thriving in the absence of comprehensive regulation. Flavored disposable e-cigarettes such as Puff Bar have soared in popularity. Together with menthol e-cigarettes, they have rapidly gained nearly three-quarters of the e-cigarette market.
September 9 marked the deadline for e-cigarette makers to submit applications to the FDA to keep their products on the market. As the agency reviews these products, it must act quickly to remove all flavored e-cigarettes that put a generation at risk of nicotine addiction. Some states are acting in the meantime: California recently passed a statewide ban on all flavored tobacco products – including menthol – making it only the second state after Massachusetts to do so.