Home lawmakers are demanding info from federal officers on what they’re doing to cease the latest inflow of kid-appealing electronic cigarettes from China.
Members of a new congressional committee on U.S.-China relations despatched the request Thursday to Justice Division and Meals and Drug Administration leaders, calling consideration to “the extreme proliferation of illicit vaping products.”
The letter cites Related Press reporting on how 1000’s of recent disposable e-cigarettes have hit the market in recent times, principally manufactured in China and bought in flavors like watermelon and gummy bear.
The FDA has declared all such merchandise unlawful. Corporations looking for to promote e-cigarettes within the U.S. are required to first search permission from the FDA, although most of the merchandise imported from China have skipped that step. The company has solely licensed a tiny handful of tobacco-flavored vapes for grownup people who smoke.
In Might, the company referred to as on customs officers to dam imports of Elf Bar, a small, colourful vaping gadget that’s the No. 1 alternative amongst youngsters.
The AP has reported that the corporate behind Elf Bar has been in a position to evade the ban by merely renaming its merchandise, which stay broadly obtainable in comfort shops and vape outlets.
“We ask you to work with the Customs and Border Protection to address this urgent problem with all due speed,” states the bipartisan letter from 12 members of the committee, together with Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and rating Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.
The special committee was established early this yr with the objective of countering Chinese language insurance policies that may harm the U.S. financial system. Tensions between the 2 nations have been rising for years, with each China and the U.S. enacting retaliatory measures on imports.
The committee’s inquiry comes amid an improving picture for teen vaping. Final month, an annual authorities survey confirmed the proportion of highschool college students utilizing e-cigarettes fell to 10% from 14% in 2022.
Nonetheless, greater than 2.1 million college students proceed to vape. Greater than half say they use Elf Bar, double the speed of every other model.
The FDA’s tobacco middle has not too long ago stepped up actions towards shops promoting unlawful e-cigarettes following a blistering evaluation of the company’s observe document earlier this yr. Amongst different steps, the FDA-commissioned report referred to as on regulators to work extra carefully with different federal companies to clear the market of unauthorized e-cigarettes.
FDA leaders have identified that they depend on the Justice Division to prosecute instances towards vaping corporations recognized by tobacco regulators. However in lots of situations, prosecutors could resolve towards submitting expenses for varied causes.
Of their letter, lawmakers particularly ask the pinnacle of the Justice Division’s shopper safety department whether or not he “has sufficient resources or expertise to litigate vapor-related referrals from FDA.”
Lawmakers are looking for solutions to greater than a half-dozen questions by Jan. 15.
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The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.
