CNN
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Federal well being officers are partnering with the US Division of Justice to battle the unlawful sale and distribution of e-cigarettes.
The US Meals and Drug Administration and Justice Division introduced Monday that they’re making a process pressure to focus on the problem. The duty pressure will embody individuals from the US Marshals Service, US Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Commerce Fee and different companies to determine and goal unlawful gross sales and distribution of e-cigarettes.
“Unauthorized e-cigarettes and vaping merchandise proceed to jeopardize the well being of People – notably kids and adolescents – throughout the nation,” Benjamin Mizer, the performing affiliate legal professional basic with the Justice Division, said in a news release Monday.
“This interagency Job Drive is devoted to defending People by combatting the illegal sale and distribution of those merchandise,” Mizer mentioned. “And the institution of this Job Drive makes clear that vigorous enforcement of the tobacco legal guidelines is a government-wide precedence.”
Whereas the FDA has approved the sale of 23 specific tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices to this point, a number of unauthorized e-cigarettes have emerged illegally available on the market, a few of which attraction to minors.
Greater than 1 in 10 younger adults in the USA often use e-cigarettes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey discovered that about 2.1 million youth reported at present utilizing e-cigarettes.
Below present laws, new tobacco merchandise should obtain advertising and marketing authorization from the FDA earlier than they are often bought; pre-existing e-cigarette merchandise have been allowed to stay available on the market, however the company has requested producers to submit functions to maintain them there.
The brand new federal process pressure will hone in on a number of points, “together with investigating and prosecuting new prison, civil, seizure and forfeiture actions,” in accordance with the information launch, and violations “can lead to felony convictions and important prison fines and civil financial penalties,” in addition to the seizures of unauthorized merchandise.
“Enforcement towards unlawful e-cigarettes is a multi-pronged challenge that necessitates a multi-pronged response,” Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Middle for Tobacco Merchandise, mentioned within the information launch. “This ‘All Authorities’ strategy – together with the creation of this new Job Drive – will deliver the collective sources and expertise of the federal authorities to bear on this urgent public well being challenge.”
The creation of this new process pressure comes after the FDA has issued greater than 1,100 warning letters to a number of distributors, producers, importers and retailers for illegally promoting or distributing unauthorized tobacco merchandise, together with e-cigarettes. In December, the FDA introduced seizing about 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products.
“The U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Division stands able to work with our Job Drive companions within the seizure of unauthorized e-cigarettes from home distributors in search of to promote them unlawfully,” Ronald Davis, director of the US Marshals Service, mentioned in Monday’s information launch.
In the meantime, the American Lung Affiliation has introduced that it applauds the launch of the brand new federal process pressure.
“For too lengthy, producers, distributors and wholesalers have acted with out regard for the regulation or public well being. The Lung Affiliation has urged enhanced regulation enforcement actions be taken to carry producers, wholesalers and distributors accountable for promoting unlawful tobacco merchandise and to guard the general public well being, particularly kids’s well being,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Affiliation, said in a statement Monday. He added that youth vaping is a “critical” public well being concern.
“Lots of the unlawful e-cigarettes at present available on the market are flavored merchandise, which are a magnet for youth,” Wimmer mentioned partly. “The American Lung Affiliation commends the DOJ, FDA and different companies concerned on this process pressure. Ongoing and coordinated enforcement is critical to take away the unlawful and addictive tobacco merchandise from the market.”