I remember so well when I was an elementary school principal. I would love to drop by classrooms as students worked together with their teachers on math problems. Sometimes, a problem was a bit tricky, and the teacher had to help the students add it. Let me give you a problem, and let’s see if it adds up. First, I need to give you the structure of our problem. Commercial tobacco products must submit to the FDA a Premarket Tobacco Product Application for every product they wish to have on the market. The FDA has received millions of applications and only approved 27. Only 4 of them are flavored products. The FDA provides “authorization” for these products not “approval” as it does for food, drugs, and devices. None of the 27 authorized e-cigarettes have been authorized as a modified-risk tobacco product. It’s important to note that companies did not apply for a modified risk either. Why? They do not have the evidence to prove that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to combustible cigarettes or that they are an effective tool for quitting smoking.
None of the 27 authorized e-cigarettes are “disposable” or “single-use” vapes. This is an important concern not only for public health but for environmental reasons as well. With six disposable vapes being sold every second in the United States, the discarding of these products presents a significant environmental challenge. Once the e-liquid runs out, these devices contain a lithium-ion battery glued to them, which makes them nearly impossible to safely remove or recycle. The environmental toll of these products is a major concern.
Now, understanding all this, let’s solve this math problem. The FDA has approved only 27 e-cigarettes, and of those, 4 are flavored. Today there are over 9,000 flavored e-cigarettes available in the United States, sold in gas stations, corner stores, grocery stores, vape shops, and bars, all illegally.
How does that add up?