For the first time since their introduction, electronic cigarettes could be subject to regulation in the United States. The Food and Drugs Agency (FDA) proposes a ban on sale to minors, requiring manufacturers to prove that e-cigarette is less risky than tobacco and authorization from manufacturers to keep these products on the market.
A 75-day public consultation period, in order to define all the regulations, has been opened. The final work is expected to come into effect over a two-year period. The FDA admits “that at present it does not have sufficient data on electronic cigarettes and similar products to determine their effects on public health,” reports theAFP.
Protect the next generation
The main reason for this demand for regulation is to limit the fad in young people. In the United States, the use of electronic cigarettes has doubled among middle and high school students between 2011 and 2012, affecting nearly 1.78 million people. About 160,000 young people have “vaped” without ever having smoked conventional cigarettes. A report by a group of elected Democrats in Congress accuses manufacturers of taking advantage of the current legal loophole to encourage young people to smoke and create addiction to nicotine.
“The proposed regulations are another step in our efforts to eliminate tobacco in the next generation of Americans,” said Health Minister Kathleen Sebelius. But whatever happens after the public consultation, the FDA will not ban internet and television advertisements, or the use of flavors very popular with young people like pina colada.
