Congressman Krishnamoorthi: Flavored Vapes like "Strawberry Strudel" and "Sour Skittles" are Endangering our Youth—and it's Time to Act

WASHINGTON – Following his pointed questioning during an April 9th Oversight Committee hearing, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) renewed his call for urgent federal action to combat the youth vaping epidemic, warning that flavored e-cigarettes continue to drive nicotine addiction among children and teens.

At the hearing, Congressman Krishnamoorthi challenged tobacco industry-backed witnesses who dismissed the ongoing crisis as "disputable," despite over 1.6 million children still using e-cigarettes.

“I assure you that the parents of the 1.6 million youth vapers do not believe this is somehow a disputable crisis,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “When companies market candy-flavored vapes like ‘Strawberry Super Strudel’ and ‘Sour Skittles,’ they are targeting our children—not adults trying to quit smoking.”

During his questioning, Congressman Krishnamoorthi underscored how tobacco companies continue to frame their products as tools for adult cessation while using kid-friendly branding to expand their market.

“There is no legitimate public health case for products like ‘Rainbow Road’ or ‘Sour Skittles,’” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “These products exist to hook children, and defending them as beneficial is both absurd and dangerous. I’m the father of three school-aged kids. We have a responsibility to protect this generation from another wave of addiction marketed in candy wrappers. The time to act is now.”

Congressman Krishnamoorthi has been a leading voice in the fight to end youth vaping, co-founding the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End Youth Vaping and spearheading legislation to regulate flavored e-cigarettes. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Congressman Krishnamoorthi launched the first Congressional investigation into the youth vaping epidemic in 2019, spearheading subsequent legislation to crack down on e-cigarette makers and to close the synthetic nicotine loophole. In December, Congressman Krishnamoorthi, through his role as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), announced a new investigation into illicit vaping products from China with advertising targeted at children.

The clip of the Congressman's question line is available here.