AMA urges e-commerce companies to curb illicit vaping product sales

CHICAGO — As the outbreak of serious lung injuries linked to vaping continues to grow, the American Medical Association (AMA) today released a letter sent to the CEOs of five of the nation’s leading e-commerce sites urging them to help keep illicit vaping products off their platforms. The AMA also calls on these companies to remain vigilant against the sale of items used to create counterfeit vaping products, such as empty vaping cartridges. The following letter was sent to the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Microsoft.

“It is time for e-commerce companies to take action to ban the sale of materials fueling the counterfeit vaping crisis. We urge you to actively enforce your existing policies to keep illicit products off the market and out of the hands of people who are, often unwittingly, putting their lives at risk. Given the pace at which vaping-related lung illness is expanding, there is no time to waste,” said AMA CEO and EVP James L. Madara, M.D.