FDA brings e-cigarettes under federal authority

FILE- In this Oct. 8, 2013 file photo, Kathleene, an electronic cigarette store employee, smokes an electronic cigarette in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
FILE- In this Oct. 8, 2013 file photo, Kathleene, an electronic cigarette store employee, smokes an electronic cigarette in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

WASHINGTON — New federal rules announced Thursday have the potential to upend the multibillion-dollar electronic cigarette industry just as it is attempting to position itself as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.

Under the rules issued by the Food and Drug Administration, hundreds of e-cigarette brands will have to undergo a lengthy federal review to stay on the market. The rules will bring the industry under federal oversight for the first time.

The changes will limit e-cigarette sales to minors and require new health warnings. In a shift opposed by the industry, manufacturers must seek federal permission to continue marketing all e-cigarettes launched since 2007, making up the vast majority of the market.

Most companies will have to submit premarket applications that will undergo review to assess their impact on the "public health." Those that don't submit the required information or don't meet federal standards would have their products removed from the market.

The vaping industry says the reviews would be time-consuming and costly, and could put many of the smaller companies that make the products out of business.

The regulations "will cause a modern-day prohibition of products that are recognized worldwide as far less hazardous than cigarettes," said Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association. "If the FDA's rule is not changed by Congress or the courts, thousands of small businesses will close in two to three years."

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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