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The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a new set of rules requiring e-cigarettes to be made illegal for minors. This could be the first real regulation proposed in the case of the $2 billion industry of electronic cigarettes.
The public is given 75 days to comment on these proposed rules that require the manufacturers to report the ingredients they use for the e-cigarettes to the FDA and also to put a label on them saying that they contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance. The FDA also prevents them from selling their product in vending machines in places where minors have access.
These regulations would be a much-needed change and FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that “we will have the authority as a science-based regulatory agency to take critical actions to promote and protect the health of the public.”
Another FDA representative said that “We call the current marketplace for e-cigarettes the Wild Wild West… we will be in a position to ensure that the products are as safe as they could possibly be.”
E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular over the years and some see it as a healthier alternative to smoking real cigarettes because they don’t produce any harmful tar. This means that e-cigarettes could lower the cases of lung cancer and other diseases associated with smoking. But there are many that say there aren’t many studies that show the long-term effects of smoking e-cigarettes and the reports of injuries caused by smoking vapor tobacco have increased recently. Because of these situations some say that there should be strict regulations when it comes to kids. The FDA latest proposed regulations involving e-cigarettes do not include any bans on advertising to children. Vince Willmore, a representative of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids said that the proposal doesn’t do enough but it’s a good start: “What is critical now is that they finalize this rule and then move quickly to fill the gaps.”
FDA Proposed New Regulations – e-cigarettes should be illegal for minors
If the regulation is passed, e-cigarettes will be included with other tobacco related products like cigars, nicotine gels, pipes, water pipe tobacco and hookahs.
What do you think about the new proposed regulations by the FDA? Do you think it will be approved? What are your thoughts on e-cigarettes? Are they a healthy alternative to real cigarettes or just as bad? Please share your opinions in the comment section below.
