New federal task force aims to crack down on illicit e-cigarettes

Federal agencies are stepping up efforts to crack down on the sale and distribution of illicit e-cigarettes, intending to stem the flood of products on the market that continually bypass government regulation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday announced a new task force of agencies aimed at bringing “all available criminal and civil tools to combat the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes responsible for nicotine addiction among young Americans.”

FDA partners include the Department of Justice, the US Marshals Service and the US Postal Service.

Critics have widely argued that illicit vaping products are purposely designed to appeal to children and young adults. Even though the FDA has banned most fruit- and mint-flavored e-cigarettes, the products continue to flow into the U.S. and are available for purchase.

“Unauthorized e-cigarettes and vaping products continue to endanger the health of Americans – especially children and teens – across the country,” Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement. “And the creation of this Working Group makes clear that vigorous enforcement of tobacco laws is a government-wide priority.”

The task force will focus on several topics, including investigating and prosecuting new criminal, civil, seizure and forfeiture actions, the agencies said.

The FDA has authorized the sale of just 23 e-cigarettes to adult smokers looking for alternatives to traditional cigarettes. These are the only e-cigarette products that can currently be legally marketed and sold in the United States.

Still, thousands of unauthorized products arrive in the U.S., mostly from China, and the FDA faces bipartisan pressure to do more to stop Chinese vaping products with kid-friendly flavors from entering the market.

They include leading disposable products like the Elf Bar, which was the most popular e-cigarette among underage teens last year, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

The agency is behind in its task of reviewing tobacco product premarket applications, which are required for new tobacco products to be legally marketed in the United States. The FDA previously said it would finish reviewing the applications by the end of 2023, but missed that deadline.

The announcement comes two days before a Senate Judiciary Committee listening focused on the lack of government action against unauthorized e-cigarettes.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story