Nicotine gummies could be fatal if taken by children under the age of 6, say federal officials, who refer to the fruit-flavored candy as a “public health problem waiting to happen” among American youth as the new school year commences.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a first-of-its-kind warning to one manufacturer of nicotine gummies on Thursday, citing the goods’ resemblance to kid-friendly foods or candies and the possibility that they may “cause serious nicotine poisoning or even death in young children.”
A new study financed by the FDA indicated that nicotine candies are the second-most popular tobacco product among Southern California high school students, after e-cigarettes. “Nicotine gummies are a public health problem waiting to happen among our nation’s youngsters, especially as we approach the start of a new school year,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., warned. “We want parents to be aware of the possible health repercussions of these items for children of all ages, particularly the toxicity to young children and the appeal of these addictive goods among our youth.”.
The agency will not allow “illegal products” to enter the market, the commissioner added.
The FDA issued a warning letter to VPR Brands of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which had advertised their square-shaped gummies as containing “tobacco-free nicotine.” In recent years, the vaping firm and others have made this assertion about synthetic nicotine.
The company had not secured FDA approval to promote a tobacco product as required by law, according to the FDA.
A corporate employee who was reached by telephone declined to respond. Friday, the website for Krave nicotine gummies indicated that the product had been withdrawn.
The company boasted that each of its gummies contained 1 mg of nicotine, for a total of 12 milligrams each tin. Ingestion of 1 to 4 milligrams of nicotine is harmful for children under the age of six, according to the FDA. The EPA also emphasized that nicotine is highly addictive and that exposure to it throughout adolescence can impair the growing brain.
The FDA announced plans to prohibit Juul e-cigarettes in July, but the ruling was delayed when the popular vaping business challenged the FDA in court.