Kaine Statement On FDA Changes To Protect Young People From Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency that oversees tobacco regulation, announced new changes to protect young people from tobacco products:
“We have seen an alarming increase in young people using e-cigarettes because of kid-friendly flavors and irresponsible marketing by e-cigarette manufacturers, and for months I have been calling on the FDA to take action. The announcement from the FDA to limit the availability of most flavored e-cigarettes to age-restricted stores and the decision from the largest e-cigarette manufacturers to make voluntary changes are a good start. But they must keep building on today’s progress. Too many families in Virginia and across the country have been hurt by this public health crisis. I will continue to push to ensure we keep tobacco products out of the hands of young people.”
In April, Kaine and 10 of his Senate colleagues sent two letters to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and JUUL Labs, Inc. about youth access and use of flavored e-cigarettes. In the letter to the FDA, Kaine and his colleagues urged the agency to take immediate steps to ban kid-friendly flavorings that are used with e-cigarettes and cigars. In the letter to Juul Labs, Inc. Kaine and his colleagues ask a series of questions about how the product is marketed to children and teens and what ingredients are in the flavorings that accompany these devices. They requested that the company take a series of important steps to limit youth use of their product.
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