Faced with the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes among teens, the US authorities have given manufacturers 60 days to present measures to curb this phenomenon.
The electronic cigarette in the crosshairs of the American authorities. Faced with its growing success among adolescents, the US Federal Drug Agency (FDA) gave Wednesday, September 12 sixty days to major manufacturers to present convincing measures to reduce the consumption of minors. If they fail, their products could be banned from sale.
Because if young Americans consume less and less tobacco (less than 8% at present), they are on the other hand more and more numerous to vape. According to the Washington post, e-cigarette consumption has grown by an average of 25% per year for four years in the United States. It would even have increased by 75% among teens this year. According to a survey carried out by the American administration, 2.1 million middle and high school students say they have consumed an e-cigarette in the past month. For the American authorities, this phenomenon is of such magnitude that Scott Gottlieb, the director of the FDA, compares it to an “epidemic” in a press release.
Who is responsible for this evil? A start-up named Juul Labs. With its e-cigarette resembling a USB key in which a liquid containing nicotine is inserted for 35 dollars, San Francisco-based company captures 72% of the market on its own. “Juul captured the interest of Millennials with an Apple-style approach”, said Bonnie Herzog, cigarette analyst at Wells Fargo, quoted by The echoes at the beginning of summer. Offering mango, crème brûlée and mint flavored products, she made vaping cool and is proudly displayed on social media.
FDA considers ban e-cigarette fragrances
The company’s success with young people is such that the FDA opened an investigation in April. And if Juul ensures that it is targeting only “adults who want to switch from combustible cigarettes to a better alternative” and has set up a filter to block the entry of minors on its site, the authorities are far from being convinced. The company handled the problem “like a public relations issue,” said Scott Gottlie.
“Electronic cigarettes can help adult smokers, but it should not come at the expense of children. We cannot allow an entire generation to become addicted to nicotine,” he continues. Indeed, until now, the FDA, which focused mainly on reducing tobacco consumption, encouraged smokers to switch to the e-cigarette supposed to be less harmful. But she was far from imagining that it would appeal to teens so much, especially thanks to its fragrant and fruity scents. “The availability of electronic cigarettes cannot be achieved at the cost of the addiction of new generations to nicotine, that will not happen”, he protests.
Henceforth, the FDA is therefore considering a total ban on perfumes and has begun to issue fines to manufacturers and distributors who had sold products to minors. “Today, we sent 12 new warning letters to companies that continue to advertise electronic cigarettes,” Scott Gottlie said in his press release. “But we have to do more”. These manufacturers must “prove that they really want to prevent children from accessing electronic cigarettes and must find a way to reverse this trend (…). I am deeply disturbed by this trend. I am disturbed by a nicotine epidemic in adolescents, ”he continues. And to conclude: “We are at a crossroads today. We can either seize the opportunity offered by this innovation in a responsible manner or lose it forever”.
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