Trump ban on menthol vaping flavors may go up in smoke
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar discusses vaping regulations.
The White House is considering standing down from its promise to ban certain flavors of vaping products – particularly mint and menthol flavors – amid efforts from e-cigarette advocates to maintain some options for adult users.
The development, reported by Bloomberg, comes just over a month after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced plans to “clear flavored e-cigarettes from the market.”
An administration official said Friday President Trump's directive to the Food and Drug Administration was to ensure vaping was safe and to keep children away from e-cigarettes. The FDA is still working to determine how that will happen.
While no decision has officially been made, two sources familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg that the Trump administration is considering taking mint and menthol-flavored products off the table, to allow more options for adults who are using e-cigarettes to wean themselves off traditional tobacco products. The Health and Human Services Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business.
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The nicotine alternatives “can be important for helping adults get off of combustible tobacco," Azar previously told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “But we are not going to let e-cigarettes be an on-ramp for our youth to get addicted to nicotine and transition potentially into combustible tobacco — not going to happen.”