In September 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared youth vaping an epidemic. The FDA Commissioner says the agency is halting sales of flavored electronic cigarettes if major manufacturers can’t prove they are doing enough to keep them away from children and teens. Major manufacturers, including JUUL, Vuse, MarkTen, XL, Blu and Logic 60 have 60 days to submit plans to prevent vaping use in youth. These manufacturers make up 97% of the market for e-cigarettes, according to the FDA.
In addition, in March 2018, health groups across the nation including the American Academy of Pediatrics, sued the FDA for delaying regulations on these products from August 2018 to 2022.
For the first time, according to the FDA, some e-cigarettes might be on the market illegally.
According to the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among teens with nearly 12% of high school students and 3% of middle school students reporting use in the past 30 days prior to the survey. In Anderson County, ASAP Ambassadors have reported regular vaping use among their peers and have decided to prioritize vaping prevention efforts in 2018-2019, including increased awareness, education, enforcement, and advocacy, in their high schools and their community.