14 DAY TRIAL // About three years ago, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States announced that it was to take steps towards regulating the sale of electronic cigarettes. It might have taken the Administration quite a while to stick to this promise, but, by the looks of it, it is finally taking steps in the right direction.
Thus, media reports say that, this Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration is to introduce the public to a set of regulations intended to better control the sale of both electronic cigarettes, and other similar products, i.e. cigars, pipe tobacco, hookahs and dissolvable tobacco products.
Information shared with the public says that, once finalized following a public comment period of 75 days, these proposed regulations would make it illegal to sell any of the aforementioned products to people who are not yet at least 18 years old.
Makers and manufacturers would be required to set in place health warnings saying that nicotine can cause addiction, and the sale of these products by means of vending machines would greatly be restricted. Besides, offering free samples would no longer be possible, USA Today says.
The Administration's new set of regulations does not end here. On the contrary, the Administration wants manufacturers to be required by law to register their products and the ingredients they use to make them. Thus, they would only get to market their products after being given permission to do so.
What's more, manufacturers who wish to advertise their products as being safer than others must first submit valid scientific evidence that this is indeed the case before splurging on one marketing campaign or another.
Under this new set of rules, manufacturers of tobacco products that only made it on the market after February 25, 2007, must apply for a Food and Drug Administration review in the 24 months following the finalization of the proposed rules. The Administration stresses that these products can remain on the market until the review is over.
Commenting on the Administration's decision to regulate the sale of tobacco products other than regular cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco, which the organization already has under its control, Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said, “This is an important moment for consumer protection.”
In recent years, electronic cigarettes have grown to be surprisingly popular. Thus, many people in the United States work under the assumption that they are safer than regular ones, and that they can prove a useful tool when it comes to trying to give up smoking.