The Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance said President Trump’s proposed plan to ban the sale flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes a win for vape shops and e-liquid manufacturers.

The ban being considered by the Food and Drug Administration would apply to closed-system products sold by Juul and other e-cigarette manufacturers, but the restriction would not apply to tank vaping systems commonly found at vape shops.

“This proposed move by the FDA and the administration, if it comes to fruition, acknowledges the important role that flavored vape products and responsible manufacturers play in helping adults find a way to move away from more harmful combustible cigarettes,” Amanda Wheeler, the vice president of the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance, said Wednesday.

“Make no mistake, this is a huge win for the little guys over big tobacco, which attempted to use regulation to monopolize the vaping market.”

Trump’s proposal was announced Tuesday night and viewed as a compromise, after the president had earlier talked about a complete ban on flavored vaping products.

Besides a national health scare related to vaping deaths in 2019, politicians from Denver to Washington, D.C., are considering measures to curb vaping by teenagers. Gov. Jared Polis supported a failed attempt to create a tax on vaping products last year to support health education and health programs.

The closed-cartridge systems popular with teens is the target of the Trump administration’s latest proposal on vaping.

The proposed ban is more specific to teens, applying only to fruit- or other sweet-flavored pods but not to those vaping products that taste like tobacco or menthol.

At a New Year’s Eve news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, President Trump indicated the partial ban might be short-lived.

“We have a very big industry,” he said. “We’re going to take care of the industry.”

The compromise was called a retreat on the issue by public health advocates Wednesday.

“The Administration’s decision to exempt menthol e-cigarettes and all flavored e-liquids creates a giant loophole that benefits Juul — the company that created the youth epidemic — and irresponsible vape shops, leaving America’s kids at risk,” Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free-Kids, said in a statement. “Instead of keeping its promise to kids and parents to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes, the administration has adopted the exact policy on e-cigarette flavors that Juul announced in November.

“This policy falls woefully short of the bold action the Administration promised to address what it rightly called “the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities.”