The FDA finally authorized two non-tobacco, non-menthol flavored vapes for the U.S. market. The catch is that adults who want to use them must accept a paternalistic tracking system: the device must remain connected by Bluetooth to the user’s phone, and the user must submit to biometric verification and random biometric check-ins.
These Big Brother-esque restrictions rest on the FDA’s mistaken assumption that flavored vapes are driving youth nicotine use.
Let’s get this out of the way: the evidence does not support the claim that flavored vapes are increasing youth tobacco use. Some flavor bans have reduced youth vaping, but others have been associated with increases in youth smoking. That is not a public-health victory. The relevant question is not whether fewer teenagers vape in isolation, but whether fewer teenagers use nicotine products overall—and whether policy pushes some of them toward combustible cigarettes.
Justin Leventhal is a Senior Policy Analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization that advocates for consumers through evidence-based analysis and data. Follow Justin on X @JustinLeventhal.