The Food and Drug Administration issued sweeping new rules that for the first time extend federal regulatory authority to e-cigarettes, banning their sale to anyone under 18 and requiring that adults under 26 show a photo identification to buy them. Instead, the battery-powered devices heat a liquid combination of flavorings and nicotine to create an inhalable vapor.
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The FDA began focusing on e-cigarettes in 2009 as they began appearing on store shelves in the United States.
In a conference call with news media representatives, FDA officials likened the current, unregulated e-cigarette market to “the wild, wild West”, with serious public-health implications. Manufacturers will also be required to list their production facilities and products, as well as disclose their ingredients and include health warnings on packaging and advertisements.
She said that cigarette use in OR has declined as regulations have limited flavors, labeling and marketing.
E-cigarette use has also been reported as rising among middle-schoolers.
Usage of e-cigarettes among high school students went from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2015, the survey found. Cigar and hookah usage has also increased, the FDA says, as people seek an alternative to cigarettes.
Under the new regulations, the companies will have to submit their gaping devices and any other new tobacco products for the approval of government. “So to treat e-cigarettes like traditional cigarettes is deplorable”, said Charlie Hodge from All About Vapor.
House Republicans are pushing back, with a spending committee last month approving industry-backed legislation that would prohibit the FDA from requiring safety reviews of e-cigarettes already on the market. President Harold Wimmer said in a statement.
The growing use of e-cigarettes has sharply divided American public health experts.
Tripoli said he has 40 or so manufacturers and there is no guarantee the approval goes through.
But one new rule in particular is causing a lot of concern.
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“These are jobs paying people’s bills, feeding people’s children and to have that suddenly just yanked out from under you…it’s a tough thing”, Copper said. The regulation covers any product that has been introduced to the market since February 15, 2007, a date that sweeps up practically the entire e-cigarette industry.
