FDA to ban sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18

In a long-anticipated announceemnt, the Food and Drug Administration said today it is assuming regulatory authority over electronic cigarettes, which have become a growing concern among youths, especially in rural areas, Tripp Mickle reports for The Wall Street Journal. FDA's new tobacco regulations will prohibit sales of e-cigarettes and all tobacco products to anyone under 18. Health warnings will also be placed on packages, saying, “WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.” Rules also will "require manufacturers to submit products for approval." (CDC graphic)

FDA "rules have the potential to upend the $3.5 billion e-cig industry," Mickle writes. "Many of the small vape shops, device manufacturers and liquid nicotine producers won’t be able to afford the FDA’s approval process, which could cost anywhere from $2 million to $10 million per item, according to the regulatory consulting company SciLucent LLC."

Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, an industry-funded advocacy group, told Mickle, “This is going to be a grim day in the history of tobacco-harm reduction. It will be a day where thousands of small businesses will be contemplating whether they will continue to stay in business and employ people.” Vapers argue that e-cigs help people quit; studies on that conflict.