WHO calls for ban on flavored e-cigarettes
The World Health Organization has warned that all e-cigarettes should be treated like cigarettes and all flavored e-cigarettes should be banned.
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The Food and Drug Administration is warning retailers and parents about nicotine and tobacco products packaged to look like candy, cough drops and other over-the-counter products that may appeal to children and teens.
The agency issued an advisory on Wednesday, May 20, saying it had identified eight retailers selling counterfeit products and sent warning letters to them. The products in question are not approved for sale by the FDA and could be subject to legal action, stock seizures, and penalties if retailers do not immediately remove them from store shelves.
“Products that appear to be everyday products are of dual concern: They may be accidentally ingested by young children, and they may appeal to children who may try to disguise the nature of the product from their parents, teachers, or other adults,” the FDA notice states.
This latest warning letter is just one of more than 1,000 letters issued to retailers as the FDA ramps up new pressure on unapproved tobacco products. The FDA announced its enforcement priorities earlier this year, launching an “aggressive strategy” to disrupt the illegal importation of illicit tobacco products, “focusing on the most deceptive and dangerous products.”
“No tobacco product should ever look like candy. This is a blatant ploy to target children and hide the true nature of these products,” Brett Koplau, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement. “FDA and our partners are committed to implementing aggressive enforcement strategies to keep these illegal products from hitting shelves and getting into the hands of children.”
Tobacco products look like candy, cough drops, and breath strips
The FDA said the tobacco products in question, including nicotine pouches and dissolvable tobacco products, were labeled and designed to mimic the appearance of certain candy, breath strip, and cough drop brands.
Specifically, at least two packages of Sweet Nico Pods, a candy brand similar to Ice Breakers, were found. Manufactured by Kluwa, the “candy-inspired” nicotine pouches are technically tobacco-free, but with a nicotine level of 46.9 mg/g, the online retailer’s product description says the pouches are “at the extreme level of nicotine strength.”
Similar products to Breath Strips include Hyde Brand Nic Strips, Jolt Nicotine Strips, and Lost Mary Nicotine Film, all wrapped in packaging that mimics the packaging of three different flavors of Listerine and similar Breath Strips. Nicotine products come in a mint flavor that is typically reserved for dental hygiene products. For example, the Hyde brand is advertised as “effective in just one minute” and comes in 2 mg and 4 mg doses in 20 tablets per box.
The last named product, Hyppe-branded lozenges, are packaged similarly to a bag of generic or name-brand cough drops. It comes in 3mg and 6mg doses and comes in a variety of flavors including Blue Razz, Mighty Mint, and Magic Love.
