With youth vaping concerns continually popping up in news headlines across the United States, the head of the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, has made a less than veiled threat to remove e-cigarettes from the market.
During a meeting, Gottlieb stated that if youth vape use continues to rise “and we see significant increases in use in 2019, on top of the dramatic rise in 2018, the entire category will face an existential threat.” He added that it will be “game over” for these types of vaping products, at least until vape companies “can successfully traverse the regulatory process.”
“I’ll tell you this. If the youth use continues to rise, and we see significant increases in use in 2019, on top of the dramatic rise in 2018, the entire category will face an existential threat. It will be game over for these products until they can successfully traverse the regulatory process.”
In other words, e-cigarettes and related products will no longer be on the market if youth vape use continues to rise.
The decision to consider pulling e-cigarettes from shelves does not appear to come lightly, as Gottlieb stated in a tweet shared on Twitter that he does “still believe e-cigarettes present an opportunity for adult smokers to transition off cigarette and onto nicotine delivery products that may not have the same level of risks.”
“I still believe e-cigarettes present an opportunity for adult smokers to transition off cigarettes and onto nicotine delivery products that may not have the same level of risks. However, if the youth use continues to rise, the entire category will face an existential threat”
Last year, Juul Labs, makers of the most popular e-cigarette device sold in the United States, pledged $30 million to youth tobacco use prevention. The company’s pledge came on the heels of an FDA announcement indicating that the agency plans to take steps to address youth vaping concerns.
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