New regulation passed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 5 defines e-cigarettes as tobacco products.
Under the rule, e-cigarette manufacturers and retailers must report ingredients, attach health warnings on packages and ads and provide product listings to the FDA. “Light” or “mild” products can’t be sold unless authorized, and products can only be purchased by those 18 and older with a photo ID.
The FDA swept e-cigarettes under its authority as part of the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, which now regulates “all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco and pipe tobacco, among others.”
The administration said the effort is designed to restrict sales to minors.
“This final rule is a foundational step that enables the FDA to regulate products young people were using at alarming rates, like e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah tobacco, that had gone largely unregulated,” Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products said in a news release.
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