U.S. Lawmakers Demand Action on E-cigarettes Imported from China

Despite FDA's ban, Elf Bar remains popular among teens due to evasion tactics by the manufacturer.

U.S. lawmakers are demanding information on federal efforts to stop the influx of kid-appealing electronic cigarettes from China.
The FDA has declared all such products illegal, but many of the products imported from China have skipped the necessary permission-seeking step.
In May, the FDA called on customs officials to block imports of Elf Bar, a popular vaping device among teenagers, but the company behind Elf Bar has been able to evade the ban by renaming its products.
More than half of the 2.1 million students who continue to vape say they use Elf Bar, double the rate of any other brand.
Lawmakers are seeking answers to more than a half-dozen questions by Jan. 15, including whether the head of the Justice Department’s consumer protection branch has sufficient resources or expertise to litigate vapor-related referrals from FDA.