NBC’s Erika Edwards | November 15, 2018
(NBC News) – The Food and Drug Administration is making moves against the tobacco industry in an effort to crack down on smoking in teens.
The FDA says it is working to ban menthol and mint in all cigarettes, as well as flavored cigars.
The agency also announced it will limit the sales of flavored e-cigarettes to youths, both in stores and online.
“The menthol is a big vehicle by which kids are becoming smokers, and we’re worried about that,” says FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.
A new Centers for Disease Control survey shows more than 3 million high school and middle school students use e-cigarettes, a 78 percent increase.
Nearly 90 percent of smokers started before the age of 18.
The ban on menthol will likely take years to be put in place, but the restrictions on e-cigarettes could only take months to kick in.
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