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President Trump tries to save vaping

by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi - 05/06/26 6:17 PM ET

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by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi - 05/06/26 6:17 PM ET

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The Big Story

President Trump tries to save vaping

The Trump administration handed e-cigarette companies a win this week when it authorized the sale of blueberry and mango flavored nicotine vaping pods, as well as two menthol flavored products. It was the first time the agency has greenlit a fruit-flavored electronic cigarette product.

The announcement came just hours after it was reported that President Trump pressured Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary to make the move. In the runup to the 2024 election, Trump vowed to “save” vaping.

It marks a significant shift for the FDA, which had previously turned away applications for more than 1 million fruit, candy and dessert-flavored products. The agency to date has authorized only a few dozen flavored vaping products, and all except one have been tobacco flavored, which is not widely used by young people.

Some public health experts and anti-smoking groups worry that fruity flavors will entice children; they point to the Juul-fueled vaping crisis, driven by the product’s fruity flavors when it first came on the market.

But youth vaping rates have significantly declined in recent years, and the legal age to purchase tobacco is now 21. And there is research showing vaping can help smokers transition away from traditional cigarettes, though e-cigarettes are not without health risks.

In its announcement, the FDA reasoned that the products manufactured by Glas Inc. will prevent young people from accessing the vapes while also helping adults quit cigarettes.

The company’s age gate technology requires Bluetooth connection to a smartphone as well as age verification with an uploaded government ID. The device won’t work unless it is close to the phone it’s paired with.

“By helping to prevent youth use, device access restrictions are a potential game changer,” Bret Koplow, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement.

“This technology is also an indication of the role innovation may serve in the effort to protect young people from threats posed by nicotine use and addiction while helping to enable availability of an expanded array of flavored options for adults who smoke who may use these products to completely switch away from regular cigarettes.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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