Former wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and ex-heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson are peddling flavored nicotine vapes popular amongst teens, at the same time as the Food and Drug Administration recently made moves to crack down on the sale of the illicit products.
Over the past 12 months, Tyson and Hogan have pushing disposable nicotine vapes wrapped in loud, colourful packaging and designs through their brands Tyson 2.0 and Immortal by Hulk Hogan.
The devices are sold in fruity and dessert flavors similar to apple gummies, strawberry shortcake and cotton candy.
Critics flamed the muscle heads for pushing products geared to younger vapers.
“For thus-called celebrities to be promoting products which can be dangerous for kids is a tragic day,” Jim Carroll, the White House drug czar under former President Donald Trump, told The Post.
“Flavor hooks kids on these products,” said Meredith Berkman, cofounder of the advocacy group Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes, adding it was “disheartening” to see Hogan and Tyson using “their likeness to market flavored poison.”
![Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania flavored nicotine vape](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/NYPICHPDPICT000039643689.jpg)
Many experts also lashed out on the celebrity-branded ventures since the products are illegal to sell and distribute in america.
“There’s this perception that it should be okay because they all over,” Edgar Domenech, former Latest York City Sheriff under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, said concerning the flavored vapes. “Well, it’s not okay. They’re illegal. They’re targeting our youngsters.”
In 2022, 2.5 million youths reported using e-cigarettes, including roughly 14% of all highschool students and three% of middle school students, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
![Mike Tyson Heavyweight nicotine vape](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/NYPICHPDPICT000039643227.jpg?w=1024)
Nearly 85% percent of all middle and highschool students said that they used non-tobacco flavored vapes.
To this point, the FDA has only authorized the sale of 23 vaping products, all of that are tobacco flavored and geared toward adults, in accordance with agency spokesman Jim McKinney.
In recent months, the FDA has made efforts to stem the flow of vapes into america, the overwhelming majority of that are made in Shenzhen, China.
In May, the agency banned imports of the favored Elf Bar and Esco Bar, amongst other devices, and sent warning letters to just about 200 retailers selling the unauthorized products. It also issued market denial orders for corporations manufacturing nearly 6,500 vaping products.
Reps for Tyson and Hogan, in addition to their brands, didn’t reply to a request for comment.