Trump Administration Plans Flavored E-Cigarette Ban, Flavored Cigars Untouched

The Trump Administration will ask FDA to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. Flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes are not expected to be part of the proposed regulation.

In a statement, the administration said that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will finalize a policy in the coming weeks that would prioritize the enforcement of the deeming regulations for flavored e-cigarettes. From there FDA would need to publish the regulations, give the public time to comment and then publish the finalized rules. It could presumably take further emergency steps, though that language is not included in today’s statement.

“The Trump Administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities,” said Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, in a statement. “We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth.”

Speaking on the Senate floor about the Trump Administration's decision to take flavored e-cigarettes off the market. https://t.co/GlquJBcUaJ

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) September 11, 2019

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., followed up the White House’s announcement by calling for a ban on e-cigarettes during a speech on the Senate floor. Durbin has been one of the staunchest anti-tobacco legislators during his time in Congress.

While today’s announcement has no direct impact on cigars, it does show that the generally anti-regulation Trump administration has its limits, particularly with tobacco.

Update — Added parts of Sen. Durbin’s speech.