In a recent op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel, Amy Ronshausen, Executive Director of Drug Free America Foundation, addresses a growing crisis in Florida’s vape market.
While some states have made strides in regulating vaping products, Florida is the No. 1 state for vape sales and illegal and unregulated vapes make up most of the products sold. Illegal vape sales made up $355 million or 86% of the $410 million Floridians spent on vape products in 2023. These products target our teens and are designed to hook them on nicotine for life. We need immediate action from the FDA and our elected officials to remove these products from stores and protect our children and communities from the harmful, unregulated chemicals they contain.
In 2020, the FDA mandated that all e-cigarette products must apply for and receive regulatory approval to remain on the market. Any product that lacks authorization is illegal. To date, the FDA has authorized only 34 specific e-cigarette products, none of which are disposables, and all of which are either tobacco or menthol flavored. This should have resulted in fewer e-cigarettes being sold in Florida. However, more than 5,800 unique disposable products, in numerous flavors and formulations, are currently on the market — a staggering 1,500% increase from the 365 products available in early 2020.
These products are overwhelmingly manufactured in China, where they are designed to introduce and addict children to nicotine. They are promoted by online influencers and celebrities, come in candy and fruit flavors that appeal to youth, and are often shaped like flash drives, highlighters or school supplies, allowing students to easily smuggle them into schools. Additionally, they are cheaper and more potent, making them more accessible and dangerous.
It’s no surprise that vapes are driving up youth smoking rates. In 2022 alone, over 2.5 million kids reported using e-cigarettes, with 85% opting for flavored varieties. Data from 2023 shows that the percentage of middle school students currently using e-cigarettes jumped from 3.3% to 4.6%.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the teen years are critical for brain development, which continues into young adulthood. Young people who use nicotine products in any form, including e-cigarettes, are at unique risk over for long-lasting effects. Because nicotine affects the development of the brain’s reward system, continued nicotine vaping can not only lead to addiction but can also make other drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, more pleasurable to a teen’s developing brain. Nicotine also affects the development of brain circuits that control attention and learning, leading to increased risks of mood disorders and permanent problems with impulse control.
The FDA is responsible for enforcing the regulations that have made these kid-friendly nicotine vehicles illegal for sale, but they have failed to do so. A scathing independent report from the Reagan-Udall Foundation in December 2022 found that the FDA’s “failure to take timely enforcement action jeopardizes public health and undermines credibility and effectiveness in tobacco product regulation.”
We add our organization’s voice to the chorus of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress who are pressing the FDA to fulfill its regulatory mandate. Prevention is paramount in addressing addiction in this country, and our federal government must, for the health and well-being of America’s youth, take enforcement actions to stop the illegal sale of flavored, disposable vapes.
