President Trump says the federal government will soon announce a new strategy to tackle underage vaping, promising, “We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children, and we’re going to protect the industry."
Trump was vague about what the plan would entail but suggested “certain flavors” in cartridge-based e-cigarettes would be taken off the market “for a period of time."
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, such as those sold by Juul and NJOY.
E-cigarette pods formulated to taste like tobacco or menthol would still be allowed.
Meanwhile, taxing electronic cigarettes like regular cigarettes could result in fewer Americans kicking the habit, some researchers think.
A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that taxing vaping products at the same rate as cigarettes could deter 2.7 million U.S. adults from quitting over a decade.
Although there is no federal tax on e-cigarettes, some 17 states (including Nevada and California) and the District of Columbia have a vaping tax, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.
More than half of those states imposed the levy this year amid growing concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes.
(AP, CBS News contributed to this report.)
