WASHINGTON — (CNN) The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco and pipe tobacco.
Once in effect, this final rule will also prohibit the sale of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to youth under the age of 18 and will require the display of health warnings on all product packages and in advertisements.
“This action is a milestone in consumer protection — going forward, the FDA will be able to review new tobacco products not yet on the market, help prevent misleading claims by tobacco product manufacturers, evaluate the ingredients of tobacco products and how they are made, and communicate the potential risks of tobacco products,” the FDA said in announcing the extension of its authority.
The FDA said it will also control the “parts” and “components” of tobacco. For e-cigarettes, that would include e-liquids, atomizers, batteries, flavors, vials that contain e-liquids and programmable software.
E-cigarettes work by heating a pure liquid called e-juice — composed of flavorings, propylene glycol, glycerin and often nicotine — until it vaporizes. The resulting vapor is much less offensive to many — both smokers and non-smokers — and some studies have shown that it helps smokers quit. In fact, many e-cigarette users don’t call themselves smokers, preferring to use the term “vapers” instead.
This action by the FDA highlights the growing controversy over the potential danger of e-cigarettes. Are they really an effective way to quit smoking? Does “vaping” introduce health issues all its own, such as encouraging adolescents who would otherwise never smoke to take a puff off the real thing? Science and public policy have bounced back and forth for over a decade, as different studies produce different — and sometimes contradictory — results.
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