The FDA plans to ban the sale of nearly all flavored e-cigarette pods, except those created to taste like tobacco or menthol, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The ban would not affect open-tank vaping devices, which allows people to custom mix and create their own nicotine liquids, which are available commonly in vape shops. The pod-based vaping devices are far more popular than the tank devices among teenagers and children, and they tend to favor fruity pod flavors. The move is an attempt to curb the swift rise in underage vaping.
The new plan is a switch from the FDA's earlier policy plan that included banning all flavored e-cigarettes, except those flavored to taste like tobacco. Conservative interest groups and vaping industry groups fought the earlier policy, saying it would hurt small businesses and potentially hurt President Donald Trump's ability to win key re-election states where vaping is popular. The new policy is seen as a compromise, according to the Journal.
"We're going to protect our families. We're going to protect our children. We're going to protect the industry," President Trump said.
Some states already have adopted similar policies against vaping, such as New York, which banned the sale of all flavors of e-cigarettes except for tobacco and menthol for 90 days, beginning in September. The ban was carried out after the state health department voted to carry out Andrew Cuomo's emergency resolution, and it will need to be renewed to stand after the 90-day period.
The minimum tobacco-buying age recently was raised to 21 years.