SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Effective Sept. 30, the Scott AFB Exchange has been directed to temporarily stop the sale of all e-cigarette and vaping products due to alarming health concerns being reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This also affects all other Army, Navy and Air Force installations at this time. Commissaries do not sell e-cigarettes or vaping products.
This ban will remain in place until the FDA’s work with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to collect information on the products is complete, according to AAFES officials.
E-cigarettes are a form of vaping. It’s called vaping because tiny puffs of vapor are produced when the device is used. E-cigarettes claim to have the potential to help adult smokers quit smoking regular cigarettes, however scientists are still determining if e-cigarettes are effective for quitting smoking.
E-cigarettes are considered by the Air Force to be in the same category as tobacco products and may not be use in any government building.
The CDC also offers the following recommendations for those who use or are considering using these products:
- If you have never smoked or used other tobacco products or e-cigarettes, do not start.
- E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products.
- Anyone who uses an e-cigarette or vaping product should not buy these products off the street, and should not modify or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.
- Users of e-cigarettes or vaporizer pens must ensure that the products they purchase do not contain Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or synthetic cannabinoids.
- Additional research can help understand long-term health effects.