TikTok is being used by vape sellers marketing to teens
Sellers are offering flavored disposable vapes, parent-proof discreet packaging, no ID checks
TikTok has a vaping problem. Although a 2019 U.S. law made it illegal to sell or market e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21, TikTok videos featuring top brands of disposable e-cigarettes and vapes for sale have been relatively easy to find on the app. These videos, set to popular and upbeat music, clearly target a teenage customer base with offers of now-unauthorized cartridge flavors like fruit and mint in the form of a disposable vape. Some sellers even promote their “discreet” packaging services, where the vapes they ship to customers can be hidden from parents’ prying eyes by being placed under the package’s stuffing or tucked inside other products, like makeup bags or fuzzy slippers.
FDA And CBP Seize Counterfeit E-cigarettes
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport teamed up with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to seize counterfeit e-cigarettes.
The team seized 33,681 units of e-cigarettes worth about $719,453. In December 2020, CBP seized 42 separate shipments arriving from China destined to various Texas counties. The shipments included individual disposable flavored e-cigarette cartridges resembling the Puff Bar brand, including Puff XXL and Puff Flow. Many counterfeit, unapproved or unauthorized products are likely produced in unregulated facilities with unverified ingredients posing a serious health concern to consumers. It is especially alarming when these types of counterfeit and unauthorized products find their way into the hands of children as studies indicate, said CBP Port Director Timothy Lemaux.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport working in conjunction with agents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that they have seized 33,681 units of e-cigarettes with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $719,453.