FDA, CDC data shows substantial increase in e-cigarette use among youth
HHS Secretary Alex Azar on FDA efforts to ban menthol cigarettes, concerns over teen use of e-cigarettes and the California wildfires.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned Thursday about the rampant use of e-cigarette use among children in America.
“Just today the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data that is frankly shocking,” he told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. “We have an epidemic of e-cigarette use happening among our children.”
Government data showed e-cigarette usage rose 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students in 2018.
Azar is also worried that e-cigarettes will become an on-ramp for combustible tobacco.
He said the government plans to enforce stricter rules on the sale of flavored e-cigarette products in stores throughout the U.S. and online.
“What we want to see is these flavored units, these flavored nicotine delivery devices, they would be available in settings where kids can’t get them,” he said. “So parts of stores where you have to be 18 or over even to get in them, or online where you have sophisticated age verification producers that kids are not getting access to them.”
Juul announced on Tuesday that it would temporarily ban the sale of its flavored pod for e-cigarettes in stores and shut down its social media accounts.
In September, the FDA issued 1,300 warning letters and fines to entities related to the sale and marketing of e-cigarette products.
Although e-cigarettes can potentially help adults quit smoking regular cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products, the CDC warns they are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women or adults that don’t use tobacco products.