WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission’s first-ever report on e-cigarette products paints a disturbing picture of surging e-cigarette sales and advertising that are likely to damage the health of America’s youth.
The report, which is based on industry data provided for the years 2015 to 2018, shows that total e-cigarette sales, including both disposable units and those using changeable cartridges, increased more than six-fold from $304.2 million to $2.06 billion in those three years alone. The sales of fruit and other flavored e-cigarette cartridges preferred by youth increased seven-fold over that time, and nicotine concentrations in disposable e-cigarette products also increased.
“The Commission’s inaugural e-cigarette report paints a disturbing picture, especially with e-cigarettes driving an unprecedented increase in youth use of tobacco products,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“The data show that this increase coincided with dramatic spikes in the market share of flavored products, higher concentrations of nicotine, and an industry attempt to evade a ban on free sampling.”
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