Supreme Court Upholds FDA's Flavored Vape Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the FDA's decision to reject applications from Triton Distribution and Vapetasia for selling flavored vaping products, citing significant public health risks, especially to young people. The court overturned a previous ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which had found that the FDA unlawfully changed its regulatory standards during the approval process. Justice Samuel Alito noted that while affected parties may have thought the FDA would use less stringent standards, the agency's actions remained consistent with its guidance. The decision supports the FDA's crackdown on sweet-flavored e-cigarettes, which are popular among teens and are considered a growing public health concern. However, the Supreme Court sent back the issue of the FDA's consideration of marketing plans to the lower court for further review. This ruling occurs amid political shifts, as the Trump administration has indicated potential regulatory changes to support flavored vaping products.