U.S. FDA Cracks Down on Online E-Cigarette Sales
After nearly a month of trial operation for its regulatory measures, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially begun cracking down on online sales of e-cigarettes, issuing 24 warning orders prohibiting the illegal online sale of e-cigarette products to minors.
This Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the above orders. This is also the first formal regulatory action since the agency began prohibiting e-cigarette sellers from selling e-cigarette products to minors under the age of 18 on August 8. At the same time, the FDA sent warning letters to 28 online retailers and cigarette manufacturers selling e-cigarette products.
An FDA spokesperson said that the websites and businesses receiving warning letters must respond to the agency within 15 days and explain how they plan to prevent future sales to minors. Websites and businesses that continue to violate the relevant regulations will be subject to a fine of $275.
As the e-cigarette sales industry had expected, the FDA has not yet taken action to completely ban online sales. However, the newly issued orders also show that the agency is closely monitoring channels that sell e-cigarette products to minors.
