In the last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began publicly acknowledging harm reduction as a legitimate principle within its regulatory framework. Through its Premarket Tobacco Product Application process, companies can gain authorization to sell their products in the U.S. An important distinction here is that these products are not recognized by the FDA as being safe or approved for treatment of tobacco use disorder.

Though thousands of flavored and disposable vapes may disappear from store shelves across the country, tobacco prevention and control and health policy experts warn that these bans aren’t enough to protect youth.

Research shows that tobacco products that use menthol as a characterizing flavor are more addictive, harder to quit, lead to initiation of tobacco product use in youth, and disproportionately impact Black communities