The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has closed a loophole that allowed vaping companies to avoid oversight for years, according to CNN. The federal spending bill enacted on March 15 gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products with nicotine from any source. The liquids used in e-cigarettes — called e-liquids or vape juice — typically use lab-made synthetic nicotine instead of tobacco-derived nicotine, which allowed makers to evade scrutiny. With the new regulations, sales of vaping products are limited to adults over 21. Makers or sellers can't distribute free samples and cannot claim their products are safer than cigarettes without permission from the FDA. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.3 percent of high school students reported vaping in 2021.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.