Pediatric group critical of Trump’s limited ban on flavored e-cigs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One of America’s leading health organizations is calling President Donald Trump’s decision on flavored e-cigarettes a failure.

The Trump Administration announced Thursday that flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes besides menthol and tobacco will be banned, but allows vape shops to continue selling some flavors. The cartridges, more commonly known as pods, are used in devices like JUUL.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics argues that the limited still allows vape shops to sell the flavored liquids for vapes, including cotton candy and mango, and that flavors like menthol and mint will still available for all e-cigarettes.

But no matter what the president decided, there was going to be pushback.

"Whenever the flavor ban comes around, we can send them all to the state and try to show that most people use flavors,” Morgan Ivey, manager of House of Vapors, told News4Jax.

Note that Ivey said when the ban comes, not if the ban comes. He and others in the vape business know the possibility of that happening is very real. And it will affect business.

“Generally we just sell JUUL and we only have a select few tobacco flavors," Ivey said. “Pretty much all of it’s flavored except this little bit of a shelf.”

You can understand why Ivey was relieved with Trump’s announcement. But Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said this new ruling did nothing.

“The bottom line is that children are at nearly the same level of risk now as they were before this guidance came out, and that is a shame,” Goza said. “Science shows us that flavors lure children in and this guidance will allow thousands of flavors-- like mango, grape, and green apple -- to stay on the market.”

Trump’s rule gives companies 30 days after the new policy is published to halt manufacturing, sales and shipping.