FDA Calls Youth E-Cigarette Use an Epidemic and Announces Steps to Curb Use

Youth e-cigarette use in the United States is an epidemic, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Wednesday. He announced new steps the agency is taking to prevent youth vaping.

The FDA will stop sales of flavored e-cigarettes if major manufacturers cannot prove they are doing enough to keep them out of the hands of children and teens, USA Today reports. The agency is giving manufacturers 60 days to submit plans to prevent youth e-cigarette use. If the FDA does not approve the plans, it could order their products off the market.

In a statement, Gottlieb says, “Let me be clear that nicotine isn’t a benign substance. This is especially true when it comes to children, and the effects that nicotine has on a developing brain. That’s why we need a strong regulatory process that puts these new products through an appropriate series of regulatory gates.”