US targets illegal e-cigarettes with new mission force

The U.S. Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has launched a new mission force dedicated to disrupting the sale and distribution of illegal e-cigarettes. This joint effort is part of our ongoing commitment to protect young people from unauthorized electronic cigarette products.

The establishment of the task force follows the FDA issuing more than 1,100 warning letters to various entities in the industry, including manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers, for the illegal sale or distribution of unapproved new tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. To date, only 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products have received FDA clearance for sale.

Benjamin C. Mizer, the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice, emphasized the health risks posed by unlicensed electronic cigarette products, especially for children and adolescents, and said: “This interagency task force is committed to defending Americans by combating the illegal sale and distribution of these products. And this is “The establishment of the mission makes clear that strong tobacco enforcement is a government-wide priority.”

The creation of the task force comes as the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey highlights a decline in overall tobacco use among high school students from 16.5% in 2022 to 12.6% in 2023, a trend largely attributed to reduced e-cigarette use It happened just in time. However, the survey also noted an increase in tobacco use among secondary school students over the same period, from 4.5% to 6.6%.

The new mission force will take both criminal and civil enforcement actions, including prosecutions, seizures and fines, to combat the illicit e-cigarette market. It will draw members from several federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Commerce Committee, and will reflect a broad interagency approach to this public health issue.

Reuters contributed to this article.

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