Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the rise of flavored, disposable e-cigarette use among the nation’s youth.
The letter, sent to the Dockets Management Staff of the FDA this week, specifically calls for a federal ban on all flavored e-cigarettes and similar products, as well as regulations limiting the concentration and quantity of nicotine in e-cigarettes, also called Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).
In addition, the coalition’s letter urged the federal agency to adopt regulations governing the marketing of e-cigarettes, with a particular emphasis on social media and influencers.
The coalition also called on the FDA to take stronger enforcement actions against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of flavored disposable e-cigarettes.
“Two of the proposed goal areas for the strategic plan—developing comprehensive and impactful tobacco regulations and ensuring compliance of regulated industry and tobacco products—must account for the risk that flavored and disposable ENDS pose to youth,” the coalition wrote.
In 2022, according to the attorneys general, 14.1 percent of high school students and 3.3 percent of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use. Of those students, over 2.2 million used fruit, candy, or dessert-flavored e-cigarettes, and nearly 1.4 million used disposable products.
“There is a clear reason for these troubling statistics: despite lacking federally required marketing authorization, flavored disposable ENDS are ubiquitous,” the attorneys general explained.
The attorneys general concluded their letter by expressing appreciation for the agency’s attention to the matter, adding that they stand ready to “provide any support necessary to protect our kids from addiction to these dangerous products.”
According to the most recent data by the Tennessee Department of Health, in 2019, 27.9 percent of Tennessee high school youth reported currently using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Among Tennessee high school youth, 7.1 percent reported currently smoking cigarettes, which was above the national rate at the time of 6 percent.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “E-Cigarette User” by Vaping360. CC BY 2.0.
