MILWAUKEE — The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the sale and marketing of specific fruit-flavored vapes made by Los Angeles-based company GLAS—the first time the agency has approved fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers.
Previously, the FDA had only granted permission to tobacco or menthol-flavored vaping products.
Watch: How local businesses and advocacy groups are reacting to the FDA's decision to authorize the sale and marketing of certain fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
The decision has drawn reaction from local vape shop owners, industry advocates and public health organizations.
At Knuckleheads Wellness, a vape and smoke shop on Milwaukee's East Side, store manager Jacob Hardrath said the news could be good news for business. His shop had to stop selling fruit-flavored vapes in 2025 due to a Wisconsin state law that only allows the sale of nicotine-flavored vapes or FDA-approved products.
"The whole entire side of the store used to be 100% vapes. And so now, we're able to carry maybe half of one shelf, where we used to have maybe 20 times the amount in selection and flavor," Hardrath said.
Hardrath said he believes the FDA's reversal could have a broader impact on smoking habits.
"I think that them reversing course ultimately is going to reverse cigarette sales a little bit and give people more alternatives to smoking cigarettes, which in my opinion is a good thing all around the board," Hardrath said.
"I don't know how many more things are going to be brought back to the market, but we're open to any of it," Hardrath added.
David Baupre, president of Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking and Tobacco—known as WISCOFAST—said the approval is a step forward, but a limited one.
"While the notion seems great, a first-flavor vaping product being approved by the FDA, the reality of the situation is this is just four products in a market that serves tens of millions of smokers," Baupre explained.
WISCOFAST works to help businesses navigate regulations and what the group calls "unfavorable legislation," and believes products like fruit-flavored vapes can help smokers quit cigarettes.
"We understand that it's not for everyone, and certainly agree with the advocates trying to prevent youth use and youth access of these products, but for adults, previous smokers, like myself, and the 300,000 vapers that we have here just in Wisconsin—these products and them being flavored, the choices that we have chosen over the years, are important to us," Baupre said.
Not everyone shares that optimism. Some remain concerned about fruit-flavored products ending up in the hands of teenagers. While GLAS has announced age verification systems, the American Lung Association expressed serious reservations.
Molly Collins, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Wisconsin, sent a statement that reads in part:
"After years of recognizing the dangers flavored e-cigarettes pose to youth, it is deeply troubling to see the FDA ignore the scientific evidence and reverse course," Collins said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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