FDA to Regulate E-Cigarettes Just Like Tobacco

Agency Will Not Regulate E-Cigarettes Under the Stricter Rules That Apply to Medical Products

The FDA has decided to oversee electronic cigarettes the same way it does tobacco products. The agency will not regulate the vapor-producing devices under the stricter federal rules that apply to medical products.

The FDA says it decided not to appeal a federal appeals court ruling asserting that e-cigarettes could be regulated as tobacco products and “are not drugs or devices” unless specifically marketed for therapeutic purposes, such as purporting to help people quit smoking.

The decision not to appeal was announced in a letter to the public and stakeholders from Lawrence R. Deyton, MD, MSPH, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, and Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the agency’s Drug Evaluation and Research.

Menthol cigarette use on the rise among young people

Teen smokers are increasingly choosing menthol cigarettes over ordinary brands - and 80 per cent of black adolescent smokers buy minty versions.

Brands like Lorillard's Newport account for nearly one-third of America's $83billion annual cigarette sales, and more and more of those come from minority youth smokers.

A draft report by the Food and Drug Administration in Washington found more than half of Hispanic teenage smokers use menthols, and there is a 'significant increase' in white youths smoking them, too.

The draft chapter, released today, is a blow to cigarette manufacturers who are fighting FDA proposals to ban or limit the sale and manufacture of menthol cigarettes.

Anti-smoking campaigners argue they are dangerous because the mint flavouring hides the harsh taste of tobacco, making them more appealing to young smokers.