E-CIGARETTES

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are now popular, particularly among young people, thanks to a wide array of candy and fruit flavors and unsubstantiated marketing claims that promote them as a trendy, less hazardous alternative to combustible cigarettes. Because of the lack of clinical research, many in the medical and public health communities are concerned about their safety and health impact on users. The sale of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in the past few years and, as a result, the U.S. Surgeon General declared that e-cigarette use among youth is an epidemic, and that aggressive steps must be taken to protect our children from nicotine addiction and other associated health risks caused by e-cigarettes. A growing number of state and local governments have taken steps to fill the regulatory gaps left by the FDA by regulating the sale, marketing, and use of e-cigarettes in order to protect the health of users and to reduce youth initiation.