Senator Chuck Schumer is urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban e-cigarette flavors that appeal to kids.
“The craze among kids for e-cigarette flavors that resemble whipped cream candies cookies, is not only a bad trend, it's also a recipe for disaster that's fueling outright addiction,” Schumer said.
He said at a time when smoking rates are falling in the United States, e-cigarettes are increasingly being marketed to children.
Schumer said one in five New York high school students used e-cigarettes in the past year, which is twice the national average. He said it’s becoming an epidemic.
“There's a law that's on the books that prevents fun-flavored e-cigarettes from being sold. There’s a law already. I don't have to pass a law. It's been done, just like it was for cigarettes. But no one is enforcing the law,” Schumer said.
The Senator said a pod of e-cigarettes has the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of normal cigarettes. He said that could lead to addiction.
“The FDA has to step up to the plate and be the adult in the room and put an end to these cynical marketing ploys,” Schumer said.
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