CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sweeping changes against tobacco products were announced Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA).
Menthol will soon be banned, and electronic cigarettes will soon have heavy restrictions.
The announcement came on the same day as the annual Great American Smokeout -- when anyone who smokes is encouraged to kick the habit.
Recent surveys showed vaping has dramatically increased among high schoolers as well as students in middle school. Nationally, vaping is up 80 percent among high school students and 50 percent among middle schoolers.
The North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey showed nearly 17 percent of students in the state have tried an e-cigarette. That’s more than cigarettes, little cigars, and chewing tobacco.
Carrie Klamut from the Southeast Region of the American Cancer Society was appalled at those numbers.
“It’s astounding, and the message that we need to make sure kids know is that even though it might be marketed as safer, safer doesn’t mean safe,” she said.
Klamut applauded the FDA proposals that include concerns about the availability of menthol-flavored products.
“Menthol gives the appearance that it is a smoother type of smoke and it makes it a more attractive type of cigarette to use," she said.
One of the most popular e-cigarette companies is Juul. Perhaps anticipating the FDA proposals, the company has already said it will stop the retail sales of most flavored products.
“We really do not want people to inject any kind of chemical into their body that will impact their health," Klamut said.
Smoking is still considered to be the most preventable cause of death in the US.
