FLAVOURED e-cigarettes could only be sold in vape stores under a plan to stop underage sales, the US Food and Drug Administration has claimed.

The government agency believes many teens are getting away with illegally buying flavoured vape products in retail shops and is considering taking drastic steps to curb it.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told America’s CNBC that he believes vape stores are better at checking ID from customers and is considering confining some e-cigarette sales, specifically flavoured products, to specialist shops and disallowing them in stores such as 7-Eleven and Circle K.

He said: "We're looking at what can be sold in brick-and-mortar stores and whether or not flavoured products can be sold in regular stores like a 7-Eleven and a truck stop and a gas station, or whether or not flavoured products on the market should be confined to adult vaping shops, which generally tend to do a better job of checking ID.”

Earlier this year, the FDA conducted investigations into underage vaping sales in stores across America and issued over 1,300 warning letters and fines to retailers who illegally sold e-cigarettes to minors.

Retailers who were caught include national convenience stores and gas stations like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Shell and Mobil, according to an FDA database.

The news comes after the FDA also announced it is considering an online ban of vape products.
Gottlieb admitted the shock move is one of the proposals "on the table" as part of its crackdown on teen vaping.

While speaking on a panel discussion on e-cigarettes hosted by US news website Axios last month, Gottlieb explained the FDA will reveal more about its future plans in November when they release new data on the use of e-cigarettes by minors.

He told the panel: “One of the things we’re looking at is whether or not we should change our regulations to address how these products are being sold, particularly how they’re being sold online.

We have two problems “one with appeal “ they are too appealing to kids and the other is access “ they are too accessible to kids and we think the online portal is one of the reasons why they’re so accessible.”

He then admitted that, in the future, vape products could be treated like cigarettes, which are banned from online sales, and current vape websites could be shut down or restricted.

The proposal has already been heavily criticized as a potential disaster to America's health with thousands of ex-smokers having quit their deadly cigarette addiction thanks to vaping.