US FDA Cracks Down on Online E-Cigarette Sales

After nearly a month of trial operation of regulatory measures, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially begun cracking down on online sales of electronic cigarettes and issued 24 prohibitions against the illegal online sale of electronic cigarette products to minors.

This Thursday, the FDA released the above prohibitions, marking the first formal issuance of related regulatory bans since the department began prohibiting electronic cigarette vendors from selling to minors under 18 on August 8. At the same time, the FDA also sent warning letters to 28 retailers and cigarette manufacturers selling electronic cigarette products online.

A spokesperson for the FDA stated that the websites and businesses that received warning letters must respond to the FDA within 15 days and explain how they plan to prevent future sales of products to minors. Websites and businesses that continue to violate relevant regulations will face fines of $275.

As expected by the electronic cigarette sales industry, the FDA has not taken action to completely ban online sales. However, the newly issued prohibitions indicate that the department is closely monitoring channels that sell electronic cigarette products to minors.