Senate hearing to spotlight illegal vaping companies that have dodged regulators

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health and law enforcement officials are set to face congressional questioning over the rise of illegal electronic cigarettes in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar business that has flourished amid haphazard enforcement by regulators.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from top officials at the Food and Drug Administration and Justice Department about attempts to stay on top of the vaping industry, which includes major American brands — Juul and Vuse — alongside thousands of smaller, unauthorized varieties based in China.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin has previously urged the two agencies to cooperate in bringing legal action against makers of unauthorized products, especially fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes that can appeal to teens. In prepared remarks, the Illinois Democrat states that both agencies “sat on their hands” while “companies addicted a new generation of children to nicotine.”

“I simply do not understand how FDA and DOJ have permitted thousands of products to remain on store shelves when their manufacturers have not received authorization, or, in some cases, even filed an application,” Durbin states.

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