The letters include descriptions of some of the"youth-appealing" designs, including vapes that look like cartoon characters, stuffed animals, highlighters, cameras, handheld video games and coffee drinks.
"It’s a tough sell that adults using e-cigarettes to transition away from cigarettes need them to look like SpongeBob in order to do so successfully," said King.In the letters, the FDA warns the retailers to"take any necessary actions to bring the tobacco products that they offer for sale in the United States into compliance with the FD&C Act."
In 2022, some 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, the CDC reported. "CTP will continue to closely monitor all those in the supply chain, including retailers, for compliance with federal law," said Ann Simoneau, director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement within FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. "As always, we will hold anyone accountable that sells unauthorized tobacco products labeled, advertised and/or designed to encourage use by our nation’s youth.