Ongoing government intervention with vaping products has made the news during the first week of the new decade.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed banning the sale of all flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes. Analysts estimate that the flavored e-cigarettes accounted for roughly 80% of retail-store e-cigarette sales in 2019.
In Septemebr, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced ICD-10 code U07.0 (Vaping-related disorder) for immediate use, and effective April 1, 2020, the CDC will implement this new diagnosis code into ICD-10-CM for reporting vaping-related disorders.
The ban will not apply to tank vaping systems. Those devices have not been widely used by teenaged vapers. The move is seen as a compromise between the Trump administration and those concerned with an outright ban’s impact on small businesses.
Originally contrived to assist with tobacco cessation among adults, e-cigarette use among those younger than 18 years of age has skyrocketed in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 66% of teenagers vape with flavored cartridges. Vaping of marijuana has more than doubled in the past two years. Young adult use was reported at 20.8% among 12th graders, with 10th graders not far behind at 19.4% and eighth graders at 7.0%.
“The use of these devices has become a public health crisis,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "These products introduce the highly addictive chemical nicotine to these young people and their developing brains, and I fear we are only beginning to learn the possible health risks and outcomes for youth."
This new regulation and code seeks to address concerns related to the increase in teen usage while preserving the benefits vape technologies and the vape product category bring to those attempting to quit using tobacco products.
The CDC alerted all providers, clinicians and billing and coding personnel they should monitor guidance throughout the year as new vaping-related disorder information may become available.