FDA, FTC take action against companies with misleading e-cig packaging - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm605507.htm As part of ongoing efforts to protect youth from the dangers of nicotine and tobacco products, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued 13 warning letters to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for selling e-liquids used in e-cigarettes with labeling and/or advertising that cause them to resemble kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy or cookies, some of them with cartoon-like imagery. Several of the companies receiving warning letters were also cited for illegally selling the products to minors. Some examples of the products outlined in the warning letters, and being sold through multiple online retailers, include: “One Mad Hit Juice Box,” which resembles children’s apple juice boxes, such as Tree Top-brand juice boxes; “Vape Heads Sour Smurf Sauce,” which resembles War Heads candy; and “V'Nilla Cookies & Milk,” which resembles Nilla Wafer and Golden Oreo cookies. Other products include “Whip’d Strawberry,” which resembles Reddi-wip dairy whipped topping, and “Twirly Pop,” which not only resembles a Unicorn Pop lollipop but is shipped with one. Images for the products can be found here.

Good. It's absolutely fucked that people think that just because as far as we know these products are safe means we should be allowing companies to be enticing children into using them and getting addicted to nicotine.

I seriously do not even remotely understand the "candy = kids" mentality. These things are not being marketed to children at all and they are required to have gigantic warnings on the side/back. Are adults suddenly no longer allowed to like candy flavors? Seriously, this blowback is kind of stupid.

I doubt the majority market for cute cartoony labelling is adults. Adults are still free to enjoy the flavour, certainly changing the package design won't change the flavour, it's clear the industry is taking advantage of the "it's not harmful so it's okay" shit to push this on kids and their parents. Vaping was meant to be an aid to stop smoking, not a substitute but the industry already fucked that up the moment they saw the money rolling in, pushing it on kids to spread even further is just the obvious next step they would attempt since it's "harmless". Also, you question how they market to a segment that can't buy your product, just look at the video games industry, they do the exact same thing of marketing games 18+ to an audience whose majority they know is under that age.

Honestly, it is. They're designed to invoke nostalgia for adults, as well as to try and differentiate themselves on shelves. In weed dispensaries, you see the exact same thing, even though a child has 0 chance of literally ever getting into that back room. There is literally no effort at all being made to push this shit onto kids. None. How would you even market to children when you can't run ads essentially anywhere? The market segment that would be tricked by 'Oh, it looks like candy' are kids who are what, age 10? Less? Do you really think that those kids who have access to an adult that is willing to buy nicotine products for them exist in large enough numbers to justify basing your entire brand around attempting to trick them into becoming customers? Regardless, most places that these are sold are vape/smoke shops which minors typically can't even enter. Finally, there is nothing wrong with recreational vaping. It wasn't "supposed" to be anything. If you want to act like products that are packaged like this are claimed to be "harmless", then that's your interesting decision to make. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/249570/69ec0bd3-45e0-4c8a-8e2c-72143fad4d07/image.png

because it doesnt matter if that age group isnt even illegally allowed to buy it, you start influencing them as young as you can and drag them into it as soon as theyre able to buy it, like the joe camel shit? Joe Camel Advertising Campaign Violates Federal Law, FTC Says | .. (and as if an age limit ever actually stopped people before...)

There is a massive gulf between the ESRB rating and the legal limit for buying a game. I will bet my lungs that you will more easily find an adult to buy you an M rated game if your local store doesn't want to sell it to you (i.e. parents) than you would find one willing to buy you nicotine products.

i jut because im sure no such thing ever existed as a parent bringing their children into the store while they purchase their own things

If you want to believe that companies are basing their entire branding around the off-chance that very young children who were brought into a smoke shop by their parents see the packaging and then convince another adult to buy it for them, I'm not sure how I could possibly convince you otherwise.