FILE – In this March 2, 2011, file photo, a clerk holds an electronic cigarette and the filter end that holds the liquid nicotine solution at an E-Smokes store in Aurora, Colo. Increasingly popular e-cigarettes and cigar varieties could be exempt from some government safety regulations if House Republicans have their way. It’s a move that alarms Democrats and public health advocates who argue that it could lead to unsafe products. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – 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 long-awaited 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 burgeoning 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 vigorously 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.