FDA wants to crack down on teen vaping

The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday plans to restrict flavored nicotine products after a government survey showed the number of teens using them had skyrocketed. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wants to stop convenience stores from selling flavored e-cigarette products to minors and ban menthol flavoring in cigarettes and cigars. “I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes,” Gottlieb said in a statement. He also called for additional steps to prevent the marketing of e-cigarettes directly to kids and online sales to minors. The National Youth Tobacco Survey last spring showed that so-called “vaping” increased by almost 80 percent among U.S. high schoolers last year and nearly 50 percent among middle school students. Health experts warn vaping can hook teenagers on nicotine and could be a gateway to regular smoking and the use of other drugs.

Ahead of the FDA announcement this week, popular e-cigarette maker JUUL said it would shut down its Facebook and Instagram accounts and stop sales of flavored products in 90,000 retail stores.