“Despite recent declines in use, e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students, with more than 1.6 million youth reporting current use in 2024,” the report stated.
“Up to 85 percent of e-cigarette devices and pods sold in U.S. retail outlets are illegal products. Federal enforcement efforts have seized millions of unauthorized devices, but illegal sales persist, threatening the health of young people nationwide.”
The guide asks parents and caregivers to understand the risks posed to children and urges open conversations. For educators, the guide recommends discussing the dangers of tobacco and e-cigarettes with students.
For regulators and retailers, the guide calls on them to improve legislation, strengthen enforcement, and work together to remove illegal vape products from the market.
“The rise of illicit flavored vaping products has been fueled by aggressive youth-targeted marketing, including bright colors, appealing flavors, and even gamification features designed to mimic digital entertainment platforms,” the department said in its statement.
According to the guide, most vapes contain high concentrations of nicotine. A human brain only fully matures by around the age of 25, and nicotine exposure prior to this age can negatively impact brain development, affecting concentration and impulse control. Exposure can also have short- and long-term impacts on learning and memory.
Nicotine can worsen mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety. It can also raise the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Other risks include hypertension, blood vessel damage, heart failure, lung damage, and oral disease.
The Food and Drug Administration has only approved 39 e-cigarette products for sale in the United States as of September, said the guide. Selling e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21 is strictly prohibited.
“Vaping directly threatens children’s brain development, mental health, and long-term well-being,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the HHS statement.
“We’re acting now to protect the next generation—giving families, schools, and communities the clear warnings they need to keep kids safe from nicotine addiction and illegal products.”
The Make America Healthy Again Commission, established by President Donald Trump, had unveiled its strategy report on Sept. 1, calling on the FDA to boost enforcement on illegal vaping products, according to the HHS.
The report also called for “increased awareness through public campaigns that the Administration will not allow unapproved vaping products targeting children to continue flooding our country.”
Crackdown on Chinese Vapes
On Sept. 10, the HHS announced that authorities seized 4.7 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products worth around $86.5 million.The seizure was part of a joint federal operation in Chicago aimed at investigating shipments coming into the United States.
“The Chinese are getting richer while our children get sicker. We’re putting an end to that. We are targeting illegal Chinese vapes, and we will stop them from poisoning our children.”
However, Customs and Border Protection only listed imports of $333 million worth of vapes, which is a “staggering 90 percent discrepancy,” he wrote.
“How were the Chinese able to achieve this? The answer is the Biden administration’s lack of enforcement at our border. Most of these illegal shipments—almost all of which originated in Shenzhen, China—were intentionally mislabeled as ‘battery chargers,’ ‘toys,’ or even ‘shoes,’” Thayer wrote.
