E-cigarette Regulations Being Called For

The argument over what to do with e-cigarettes continues. Despite the widespread use of e-cigarettes, very little is actually known about them. Some contend that the devices are an effective smoking cessation product, while others hold that e-cigarettes are just a nicotine alternative. In the recovery community e-cigarettes have become very popular as of late. Nevertheless, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is being called on by two organizations representing cancer researchers and specialists, to form e-cigarette regulations similar to traditional cigarettes, HealthDay reports.

Together, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have issued recommendations to the FDA.

The organizations would like e-cigarette producers to give the FDA a list of all their products’ ingredients, according to the article. They would also like the FDA to require:

• Warning labels about nicotine addiction.
• Ban on all marketing and selling to minors.
• Childproof caps for liquid nicotine containers.

The AACR and the ASCO say that tax revenues from traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes should be used for continued research on e-cigarettes. More information is needed regarding the potential dangers of e-cigarettes and whether or not the devices are effective smoking cessation products.

“We are concerned that e-cigarettes may encourage nonsmokers, particularly children, to start smoking and develop nicotine addiction,” ASCO President Dr. Peter Paul Yu said in a news release. “While e-cigarettes may reduce smoking rates and attendant adverse health risks, we will not know for sure until these products are researched and regulated.”

Until more is known about e-cigarettes people should use the devices with caution and keep them away from children.

The recommendations were published in ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology and the AACR journal Clinical Cancer Research.