FDA's Move on E-Cigarettes Is One It Had Resisted

President Trump says his administration will move to ban flavored e-cigarettes amid an outbreak of breathing problems tied to vaping. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the FDA will develop guidelines to remove all e-cigarette flavors from the market. CNBC quotes Azar as saying it will be a few weeks before the guidelines are ready; the effective date will be 30 days from that point, reports the Guardian. The FDA regulates e-cigarettes and has authority to ban vaping flavors, but has resisted calls to take that step, reports the AP. The Wall Street Journal notes the first lady was in the room during the announcement, which came two days after she tweeted her concerns about "the growing epidemic of e-cigarette use in our children."

"The Trump Administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities," Azar said in a statement, per NBC News. "We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth." State and federal health authorities are investigating hundreds of breathing illnesses reported in people who have used e-cigarettes and other vaping devices; as of Tuesday, six deaths have been attributed to e-cigarettes. No single device, ingredient, or additive has been identified as the culprit.

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