LOCALIZE IT: E-cigarettes are pouring into the US despite FDA crackdown

Disposable E-Cigarettes (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The number of electronic cigarette devices sold in the United States has nearly tripled to over 9,000, despite the Food and Drug Administration's three-year effort to crack down on kid-friendly flavors.

The increase has been largely driven by a wave of cheap, disposable devices imported from China, according to sales data obtained by The Associated Press.

Most are sold in fruit and candy flavors that can appeal to teenagers. All are technically illegal, but they continue to flow into U.S. ports.

The trend underscores the FDA’s inability to control the tumultuous vaping market previously dominated by Juul and other reusable e-cigarettes. The agency recently sent warning letters to dozens of retailers across the U.S. selling several brands of disposable e-cigarettes.

Here are some ideas for localizing the story:

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READ AP'S LATEST

— Thousands of e-cigarettes are pouring into the US despite FDA efforts against fruity flavors

— 5 takeaways from the AP’s report on Chinese disposable e-cigarettes flooding the US market

— FDA warns stores to stop selling Elf Bar, the top disposable e-cigarette in the US

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SEE WHAT THE FDA IS DOING IN YOUR STATE

Under pressure from politicians, parents and major vaping companies, the FDA last week said it sent warning letters to 189 retailers in 29 states for selling popular disposables, including Elf Bar and Esco Bar. The agency previously sent similar letters to more than two dozen retailers in 16 states. It also issued orders blocking imports of Elf Bar, Esco Bar and Breeze e-cigarettes.

But data from analytics firm IRI shows those companies accounted for just 14% of disposable sales last year. Dozens of other brands, including Air Bar, Mr. Fog, Fume and Kangvape, have been left untouched.

Stores in these states received the FDA warning letters. Click here and here to see the names and locations of the businesses.

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Minnesota

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Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

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Wisconsin

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PUBLISHABLE CONTEXT

Vaping appears to be less popular among teenagers than it was a few years ago: In 2019, 28% of high schoolers said they had recently vaped. In 2022, the proportion was about half that: 14%. But educators say vaping is still a big problem in schools.

The FDA has struggled to regulate the sprawling vaping landscape, which includes both established companies and smaller startups. While the FDA has sent more than 200 letters to retailers, there are likely many thousands more around the country selling disposable e-cigarettes.

“The FDA moves at a ponderous pace and the industry knows that and exploits it,” said Dr. Robert Jackler of Stanford University, who has studied the rise of disposables. “Time and again, the vaping industry has innovated around efforts to remove its youth-appealing products from the market.”

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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS

Contact school administrators and teachers to ask how vaping is impacting the learning environment in schools near you. What steps are they taking to combat e-cigarettes? What do they do when kids are caught vaping?

Contact parents to see how they are talking to their kids about vaping and what they do to keep their children away from it.

Ask teenagers what they see in schools and in their social circles. Have they tried vaping? Do they find it disruptive in schools?

Ask your local health department what initiatives, if any, they have to try to stem vaping in teens and younger children.

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.