Will Trump Save Vape?—We Vape, We Vote.

Time to Decide!

With the 2024 Election approaching quickly, voters are eager to understand where candidates stand on critical issues, including their views on vaping. Donald Trump recently staked out a bold position on his Truth Social platform:

This shouldn’t be a tough question—any party that values freedom and personal choice should naturally support adults’ right to purchase nicotine products. But the situation is more complex.

A Complicated Question

The next president will face a tangled vaping policy landscape. The FDA has approved only a small number of vaping products, none in flavors beyond tobacco or menthol, leaving most e-cigarettes in a legal gray area. The priorities of the next administration will impact the FDA’s stance on this issue, whether directly or indirectly.

The Future of Safer Tobacco Use is Here. Will We Embrace It?

In a recent Truth Social post, Trump reminded followers, “I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking. I’ll save Vaping again!” Notably, in 2020, the Trump administration enacted a partial ban on mint and fruit-flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes, though other types of vape products were unaffected.

Since then, the FDA has approved the first non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes for adult smokers, indicating the agency’s recognition of certain vaping flavors as tools for reducing traditional cigarette use.

Millions of American adults vape, many favoring flavored vapes to help quit smoking. Under a second Trump administration, they may be more likely to find their products legally available than under a Harris administration.

A Public Policy Issue

The future of tobacco use is clearly one in which cigarettes are displaced by significantly lower-risk nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, snus, and nicotine pouches. More importantly, tobacco harm reduction is smart, lifesaving public policy. Will the next administration prioritize these benefits, protecting a legal adult market while continuing to prevent teen access?

It’s something to consider when you cast your vote.