FDA Issues Draft Guidance Restricting the Sale of Flavored E-Cigarette Products

In early March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued draft guidance that would essentially ban flavored e-cigarette sales in convenience stores. Stores will continue to be able to sell tobacco and mint/menthol flavored e-cigarette products but cannot sell other flavored products unless minors are prohibited from entering the stores or those products are sold in a separate section of the store that minors are prohibited from accessing.

Meanwhile, National Cancer Institute Director Norman “Ned” Sharpless will become acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration after Commissioner Gottlieb recently announced that he planned to resign next month. It is not clear how Sharpless will impact the campaign to curb youth use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.