September 10, 2024
4 min read
Vape Additives that Mimic Nicotine Are Potent—and Largely Unregulated
Nicotine analogs allow e-cigarette makers to avoid traditional tobacco product regulations. But data on their safety in humans are lacking
A modified version of nicotine, the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, appeared in the U.S. vaping market in May 2023, prompting alarm among tobacco researchers. These products are being marketed as beyond the reach of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to health researchers, this is the latest in a long history of moves by tobacco companies to avoid regulation and amounts to a large-scale human safety experiment.
The company Charlie’s Holdings, Inc. launched the new line of vaping products called Spree Bar which contain Metatine, a trademarked name for its synthetic nicotine analog, 6-methylnicotine. Because of the narrow definition of nicotine in U.S. law, the addition of one chemical structure called a methyl group allows the company to market Metatine as indistinguishable from traditional vaping products’ nicotine while also avoiding any regulatory scrutiny. Other companies are doing the same with similar nicotine analogs in vaping liquids and oral pouches.
“As I see it, this is just the latest chapter in the industry’s very long and nefarious history of evading or trying to evade laws that were enacted and intended to protect the health and well-being of not only adults but children in the United States,” says Lauren Kass Lempert, a public health researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Charlie’s Holdings, Inc. did not respond to a request for comment.
The manufacture and distribution of e-cigarettes came under Food and Drug Administration jurisdiction in 2016 when they were deemed tobacco products and therefore subject to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This law prohibits e-cigarette manufacturers from marketing their products without first obtaining FDA authorization, which requires an assessment of the risks they pose to young people. Studies show that flavors and coolants such as menthol are attractive…
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