RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's attorney general is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to increase regulations around what he calls "illegal" Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (e-cigarettes and vapes).
Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter to the commissioner of the FDA on Thursday about "the concerns of Virginia residents and businesses regarding the proliferation of illegal and unregulated 'ENDS' products (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, commonly referred to as e-cigarettes or vapes)."
"I am writing to urge the FDA to take action to prevent the distribution and sale of illegal and, in some cases, dangerous, disposable ENDS products flooding into the United States from China and other countries," Miyares wrote.
The attorney general said that while steps have been taken to restrict youth access to ENDS products, there is no centralized enforcement mechanism or license to hold shops accountable.
Miyares said many "illegal" knock-off ENDS products are being smuggled into the country from China and pose the risk of being laced with fentanyl.
"The Associated Press recently advanced the opinion that the influx of illegal disposable ENDS products are due to 'the Food and Drug Administration’s inability to control the tumultuous vaping market more than three years after declaring a crackdown on kid-friendly flavors,'" Miyares wrote.
>Read the full letter below: