Back in September, the Trump administration had announced plans to ban flavoured vaping products. Subsequently, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, had confirmed the plans, when in response to an announcement by Juul that it would stop selling the flavoured products, he said that this move would not affect the administration’s plans in anyway. “We want anything that’s attractive to kids to not be available for kids,” he said, “It doesn’t stop what the president and I are working on.”
According to sources familiar with the plan, an announcement was expected in November, and the ban was meant to apply to all flavours with the exception of tobacco and menthol flavours. However, following a heated vaping debate which took place in the same month at the White House, President Donald Trump had confirmed that his administration would be raising the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes to 21, instead of pursuing a flavour ban.
A new guidance is being reviewed
The administration then quietly removed the flavours-related guidance from the OMB’s (Office of Management and Budget) regulatory website, with no further explanation. However, it has now emerged that on the 26th of December, the OMB began reviewing a new FDA guidance.
It is unclear what restrictions the new guidance contains, however there have been some hints indicating that flavours such as mint and menthol would still be exempt, as could sales at independent vape shops.
Read Further: The Hill
