During a time when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is growing increasingly concerned about e cig health risks and e-cigarette use, the federal agency ordered four tobacco companies to stop selling certain flavors of vaping liquid and hookah products. Affected by the order are 44 different flavors of the liquid, which the FDA said are being sold illegally.

Four companies—Mighty Vapors LLC, Liquid Labs USA LLC, V8P Juice International LLC, and Hookah Imports Inc.—have been issued FDA warning letters. According to the FDA, these companies have been selling flavored e-cigarette and hookah products that were brought onto the market after the agency was given authority to regulate all tobacco products. Therefore, such products must receive FDA authorization before being marketed.

The FDA gained authority over tobacco regulation in 2016. However, upon the change in administration in 2017, the FDA pushed back its date for enforcing the laws on vaping products until 2022. Before stepping down earlier this year, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb moved the deadline once again, this time up a year to 2021. Because of the movement of the regulation deadline, e-cigarette regulation has been in a bit of a gray area for some time.

“The marketing of illegal tobacco products is particularly concerning given the epidemic of youth vaping that we’re facing,” said acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless in a statement.

E-Cigarettes Impact Adolescence

Indeed, the FDA’s order comes while the agency is attempting to temper the rise of e cigarette use among youth, which has risen to epidemic proportions. Concerns about e cig health risks are ever growing, as the use of these products in youth has been linked with addiction, nicotine poisoning, seizures, and even heart and lung problems.

Approximately 1.5 million more young people used e cigarettes in 2018 than in 2017, bringing the percentage of high schoolers who use these products to 20.8 percent, along with 4.9 percent of middle schoolers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2018, then-Commissioner Gottlieb noted that he believes that e cigarette use among young people has “reached nothing short of an epidemic proportion of growth,” he wrote in a statement.

“The FDA won’t tolerate a whole generation of young people becoming addicted to nicotine as a tradeoff for enabling adults to have unfettered access to these same products,” he said.

Filing an E Cig Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has been affected by e cigarette complications like addiction or lung problems, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by e cig health risks, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses and lost wages.

Pursuing litigation can be an intimidating prospect, especially for worried parents, so Top Class actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.