NEW YORK | A top U.S. health official pledged Thursday to attempt to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars and strengthen rules regulating the sale of most flavored versions of electronic cigarettes.
The proposed restrictions were aimed mainly at reducing smoking in children: About half of teens who smoke cigarettes choose menthols, and flavored e-cigarettes have been blamed for a recent increase in teen vaping rates.
“I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes,” Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said in a statement.
Health advocates claim a menthol ban would have a more significant impact on the health of Americans, but it would probably take years to put in place. The updates for e-cigarettes could kick in within a few months.
Battery-powered e-cigarettes are more popular among teens than regular cigarettes and are considered safer. But many versions contain potentially addictive nicotine, and health officials believe they set kids who try them on a path toward regular cigarettes.
Gottlieb called for further steps to prevent the marketing of e-cigarettes directly to kids and online sales to minors. He also proposed beefing up measures to ensure that convenience stores and some other retailers do not sell e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors such as cherry and vanilla. They could still be sold in vape shops or other businesses that do not admit minors.
Smoking is the nation’s leading cause of preventable illness, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year. The FDA currently bans sales of e-cigarettes and tobacco products to those under 18.
