By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a bi-partisan coalition calling on the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products to help curb what’s described as a youth nicotine epidemic.

Nessel and 30 other attorneys general are urging the FDA to implement measures to help stem the surge of youth nicotine use and addiction related to e-cigarettes and a new generation of oral nicotine products.

Specifically, the coalition is calling on the FDA to use its regulatory power to eliminate youth-appealing flavors; limit nicotine levels in e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products such as pouches, gum, and lozenges; and impose marketing restrictions and effective age verification measures.

A press release states the FDA is responsible for deciding whether to allow the products to stay on the market and the proposed measures would deny approval for products that would worsen America’s youth nicotine epidemic.

Nessel said the youth nicotine epidemic is an urgent public health matter and she’s urging the FDA to take immediate action and use its regulatory powers to impose restrictions on the products that are harming young people.

E-cigarette use among high school students is said to have increased dramatically from 1.5% in 2011 to 11.7% in 2017, and then to 27.5% in 2019. Data from 2020 showed that 19.6% of high school students had used an e-cigarette in a prior 30-day period - with 38.9% of those reporting use on 20 or more days of that 30-day period. 22.5% reported daily use.

The release states that additionally, oral nicotine products -most notably pouches - are quickly becoming the fastest-growing nicotine category in convenience stores and have grown by about 500%. It is estimated that 13% of people age 15-24 used oral nicotine products in any given 30-day period.

The coalition argues that banning candy, mint, fruit, and menthol flavors is essential to eliminating the appeal of the products to youth consumers. More than 80% of youth using e-cigarettes are said to choose non-tobacco flavors.

The FDA is expected to decide whether e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products should be allowed to remain on the market starting on September 9th.

More information and statistics are available in the attached release.