E-Cigarette Regulation
On May 5, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a news release declaring the initiation of new regulations over the e-cigarette, cigar, and hookah markets.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell Explains Expanded E-Cigarette Regulation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Sylvia Burwell, explained the necessity of this expanded oversight as doing more “to help protect Americans from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine, especially our youth. As cigarette smoking among those under 18 has fallen, the use of other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, has taken a drastic leap. All of this is creating a new generation of Americans who are at risk of addiction,”
Studies Show Rising Rate of E-Cigarrette Use Among Youth
The FDA, as well as Secretary Burwell, are referring to recent studies conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in association with the FDA, respectively.
Findings from the CDC and NIH Electronic Cigarettes Studies
These studies support the notion that there has been a significant decline in the use of traditional cigarettes among youth over the past decade, but the use of other tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes (aka vapes), cigars, and hookah, continues to climb. Some of these results include:
- E-cigarette use among high school students has skyrocketed from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2015 (an over 900 percent increase)
- In 2015, 3 million middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users
- In 2013-2014, nearly 80 percent of current youth tobacco users reported using a flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days – with the availability of appealing flavors consistently cited as a reason for use.
New FDA E-Cigarette Regulation
One new regulation includes: no tobacco products to be sold to persons under the age of 18 years (both in person and online). Additionally, this law will be enforced by requiring age verification by photo ID at the time of purchase. These rules will be applied by August 5, 2016.
Contact the Weinberg Law Firm
for E-Cigarette Nicotine Poisoning Lawsuit Help
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective or recalled consumer product and have a question regarding your legal rights and the new E-Cigarette Regulation, please call The Weinberg Law Firm toll free at 877-934-6274, or submit our easy-to use Consumer Product Lawsuit Evaluation Form today.
