WASHINGTON -- The commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided a stern if vague declaration this week to lawmakers on Capitol Hill of “vigorous enforcement steps” to curb teen use of electronic cigarettes, according to a report in the Washington Examiner.
While addressing an appropriations subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives on April 17, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the FDA will in coming weeks take steps to curb the use of e-cigarettes by youths.
“We are going to take some vigorous enforcement steps to try to [curb] what we see is inappropriate use by youth,” Gottlieb said, declining to elaborate on when the action will happen.
The FDA has the authority to pursue e-cigarette makers and retailers if they violate a ban on sales to people under 18, but lawmakers questioned if the agency was doing enough. The agency has several avenues for targeting retailers that sell to minors. Those include a warning letter, fines or banning the retailer from selling any tobacco or e-cigarettes, the Examiner reported.
Gottlieb said e-cigarettes could offer fewer health risks than traditional cigarettes, but the rising use among minors is worrisome. A recent study found that e-cigarette use grew as much as 900% percent among high school students from 2011 to 2015, the news source reported.
“We can’t just addict a whole generation of young people onto nicotine,” Gottlieb said.
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