On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he would meet the representatives of the vaping industry in order to tighten e-cigarette regulations amid ongoing vaping epidemic across the nation.
He wrote on Twitter, “Will be meeting with representatives of the Vaping industry, together with medical professionals and individual state representatives, to come up with an acceptable solution to the Vaping and E-cigarette dilemma. Children’s health & safety, together with jobs, will be a focus!”
Although the president did not give any specific details or time, he said his administration would take action and come out with an important position on vaping products this week.
On October 7, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,051 confirmed cases of lung injury and 39 deaths related to vaping.
More than 85 percent of lung injury cases across the nation have reported using vaping products containing Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a component of marijuana that makes you go high.
According to the CDC, THC was found in 23 of 28 samples of lung cells and nicotine was found in 16 of 26 samples.
Public health officials have advised people to avoid using vaping products that contain THC or any e-cigs that come from illegal sources.
In September, the Trump administration said the FDA was working on a “guidance document,” which would ban all e-cigarette flavors.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said that once the FDA guidance will be finalized, the administration will take enforcement actions to ban the products.
President Trump said that his administration has still been considering a ban on flavored tobacco products, along with raising the age limit for the purchase of vaping products or e-cigarettes.
When asked whether Juul, the largest e-cigarette manufacturing company in the US, would be indulged in the discussion, a spokesperson of Juul said they are not lobbying on the issues.
The Juul spokesperson said, “We are continuing to refrain from lobbying the administration on its draft flavor guidance while we take significant actions to combat underage use and convert adult smokers.” The White House has not yet commented on Trump’s tweet.
