Christian Smith
(NewsNation) – The Department of Justice and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have launched a multi-agency task force to combat the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes.
“Unauthorized e-cigarettes and vaping products continue to endanger the health of Americans – especially children and teens – across the country,” Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement. “This interagency task force is dedicated to protecting Americans by combating the illegal sale and distribution of these products. And the creation of this working group makes clear that vigorous enforcement of tobacco laws is a government-wide priority.”
Different law enforcement agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Federal Trade Commission will also participate in the task force, according to the press release published this week by the FDA. These entities will work together to expedite efforts to bring “all available criminal and civil tools” against the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes, the press release said.
This task force was first proposed by outside experts in 2022, according to the Associated Press. Its release comes days before a Senate hearing scheduled to address what lawmakers are calling “youth vaping epidemic”.
Electronic cigarette use among young people
According to the 2023 FDA National Youth Tobacco Survey2.1 million young people reported currently using e-cigarettes, a decrease from the 5.3 million young people using them in 2019.
Still, the FDA warned that 10% of high school students and nearly 5% of high school students said in the survey that they currently use e-cigarettes. One in four said they use electronic cigarettes daily.
“Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers market a wide range of products that directly appeal to school-age users, such as candy and fruit flavors, some of which come in devices designed to be easily concealed,” the FDA said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that nicotine poses “unique dangers” to young people, whose brains are still developing. Nicotine, according to the CDCit can cause damage to parts of a teenager’s brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
E-Cigarette Regulations
In June 2024, the FDA authorized the sale of 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devicesmaking them the only ones that can be legally marketed and sold in the United States.
There have been more than 1,100 warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers regarding the illegal sale or distribution of unauthorized products. More than 55 manufacturers and 140 retailers have been hit with civil monetary penalty complaints filed by the FDA. The agency, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, also filed injunctive actions against six manufacturers.
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