Trump administration ‘to ban most e-cigarette flavours’

‘We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children, and we’re going to protect the industry,’ says president

Mr Trump said the federal government is set to soon announce a new master plan to tackle underage vaping (AP)

The US government is planning on banning some flavoured e-cigarette pods, Donald Trump has announced.

Mr Trump said the federal government is soon due to announce a new master plan to tackle underage vaping following a spate of deaths linked to the practice.

The US president said: “We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children, and we’re going to protect the industry.”

He was not clear about what the plan would entail but suggested “certain flavours” in cartridge-based e-cigarettes would be taken off the market “for a period of time.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration would ban the sale of most flavoured e-cigarettes, such as those sold by Juul and NJOY. E-cigarette pods formulated to taste like tobacco or menthol would still be allowed.

The WSJ also reported that tank-based vaping systems, which are less popular among teenagers, would still allow users to custom-mix flavours. The paper's report cited anonymous “people familiar with the matter”.

In September, Mr Trump and his top health officials said they would soon sweep virtually all flavoured e-cigarettes from the market because of their appeal to young children and teens. But that effort stalled after vaping lobbyists pushed back and White House advisers told Mr Trump the ban could cost him votes with adults who vape.

Beginning in May, all e-cigarettes will need to undergo FDA review. Only those that can demonstrate a benefit for US public health will be permitted to stay on the market.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump suggested a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes might be temporary.

“Hopefully, if everything’s safe, they’re going to be going very quickly back onto the market,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he was hosting a New Year’s Eve party.

The president said: ”People have died from this, they died from vaping. We think we understand why. But we’re doing a very exhaustive examination and hopefully, everything will be back on the market very, very shortly.“

But the FDA had already announced that, starting in May, all e-cigarettes will need to undergo a review. And only those that can demonstrate a benefit for US public health will be permitted to stay on the market.

In Florida, Mr Trump added: ”Look, vaping can be good from the standpoint - you look at the e-cigarettes, you stop smoking. If you can stop smoking, that’s a big advantage. So, we think we’re going to get it back on the market very, very quickly.”

It comes after a University of Southern California recently discovered teens who smoke sweet or fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes are less likely to choose to stop vaping.

Additional reporting by Associated Press