FDA Ban on Sale of Flavored E-Cigarettes Bad for Public Health

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has reportedly given the White House his plan for stopping the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in convenience stores nationwide, according to Axios. Here is a comment from CEI consumer policy expert Michelle Minton explaining why this is a bad move from a public health perspective.

“Commissioner Gottlieb continues to ignore all of the evidence that e-cigarette flavors do not attract non-smoking teenagers, but are immensely helpful to smoking adults trying to quit traditional cigarettes. This is bad policy that will lead fewer smokers to quit and more smokers to die.”

Minton has been a consistent critic of efforts to demonize or restrict use of e-cigarettes by adults, especially for smokers who would benefit most from a lower-risk product. See her report, Fear Profiteers: How E-cigarette Panic Benefits Health Activists.

Related commentary: For Sake of Public Health, FDA Should Not Ban E-cigarette Flavors