policy on e-cigarette manufacture and sales, American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) President Gary LeRoy, MD, says the policy falls short of needed action as it continues to allow menthol e-cigarettes and excludes vaping shops from enforcement by exempting flavored products mixed in vendors’ stores.
“All efforts to eliminate vaping among young people are welcome. However, some public health challenges are so important that only an all-inclusive, comprehensive approach will suffice. Vaping among our youth is just such a challenge, and today’s FDA enforcement policy on e-cigarette manufacture and sale falls short.
“More than 5 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Of them, 1.6 million use the product frequently and nearly 1 million use e-cigarettes daily.
“Eliminating the fruit flavors that attract youth to e-cigarettes is a step in the right direction. However, today’s FDA enforcement policy allows continued manufacture and sale of menthol e-cigarettes, thereby leaving those who are addicted to menthol products at risk. It also spares vaping shops from enforcement by exempting flavored products mixed on-site in vendors’ stores.
“The AAFP calls on the FDA to expand this policy by banning menthol flavors and all forms of mixing fruit flavors for use in e-cigarettes. Only by enforcing such a comprehensive prohibition can we expect to eliminate nicotine addiction among our young people.”