Should Electronic Cigarettes Be Regulated?

The e-cigarette format, however, does not eliminate concerns regarding public and individual health risks. The World Health Organization has called for e-cigarette usage to be monitored in the same way as more conventional tobacco products,(23) the US FDA is advocating for more research,(24) and there has been a dramatic increase in analyses of the chemical, physiological, psychological and socio-cultural aspects of e-cigarettes.(2-7,9-12,14-21,24-52)

In the 1960’s something out of the ordinary came about in the American market. It was when electronic cigarettes were created, they were not very known until twelve years later. Electronic cigarettes are called e-cigarettes which are operated nicotine inhalers (Neporent). In today’s world, many people under the age of 18 use e-cigarettes. That’s why I think the government should increase the restrictions on e-cigarettes.

A major issues we face today is how un-informed people are on the vaping world also known as e-cigarettes. For that I have chosen an article called America’s vaping revolution: How suspicious should we really be of the e-cigarette craze by Noah Charney posted on Sunday, Dec 7th, 2014. This article is about what e-cigarettes are, where they came from and their uses and effects that they can cause. I’m choosing this article because vaping (smoking E-cigarettes) is something that not a lot of people understand. Some people believe it is bad for you and that it won’t help stop smoking and that it can still cause health issues. Other things include the cost; some say it cost less than cigarettes and should e-cigs not be allowed in certain places. Most people are not informed about vaping on if it’s truly harmful or not they just assume it’s the same as smoking a cigarettes and that’s all it is but over the years it has changed a lot.

It wasn't long ago that there were still a few people that didn't know what electronic cigarettes were. It suddenly seemed as if overnight, people found out what electronic cigarettes were and if they were smokers, they quickly started buying them up after they got over their initial hesitations.

The profitable business of electronic cigarettes has raised over $3 Billion dollars annually, vastly spread across over 466 brands which have joined the ordeal. Above all, known as a “gateway drug”, electronic cigarettes have claimed the once-ordinary lives of people, specifically to those who have turned from tobacco cigarettes. What is more, scientists have determined that not enough research has been executed to automatically assume the healthiness of e-cigarettes. Despite this, many have claimed that e-cigarettes, are, and will be the new “healthy” drug, so to speak. Provided that e-cigarettes do not release harmful smoke, they are still not safe for one’s health given that not enough research has been performed on them.

John Doe is an 18-year-old resident, Colorado. He’s active in his community and volunteers through the local public library, he’s a genuinely nice guy, and he’s a smoker. A few months ago, John Doe decided that he wanted to minimize his health risks from smoking cigarettes, so he switched to a new alternative: an e-cigarette. Electronic cigarettes contain no tobacco, and vaporize a vegetable glycerol fluid that contains nicotine, mimicking the feeling of smoking a burn cigarette without the tar, dangerous gases, and unpleasant smell (Block). In most states, smokers can “vape” in public places with their e-cigarettes, receiving the nicotine of a burn cigarette without complaint from others. Heavy smokers find that they can use e-cigarettes to gradually decrease nicotine and many use it as a gateway to quit smoking. Yet in the absence of regulation, sale of e-cigarettes to minors is only prohibited in twelve states (Lopes), and this is a definite problem. Adolescents may see vaping as a cool new thing to do and become addicted to nicotine. The lack of regulation in the e-cigarette industry especially contributes to this, as companies create appealing advertisements displaying a variety of new flavors. Furthermore, without Food and Drug Administration (FDA) screening, e-cigarette ingredients are unregulated and this could lead to unsafe or downright harmful products.

An increasing number of physicians and scientists agree that e-cigarettes are a healthier alternative, and they say these products could end a major health problem. The Royal College of Physicians say, "Electronic cigarettes and other nicotine-containing devices offer massive potential to improve public health, by providing smokers with a much safer alternative to tobacco" (Jen Christensen, sec. 4).

As with other such technologies, e-cigarettes don’t neatly fit into regulatory niches. The federal government is struggling to understand how to regulate e-cigarettes and, sadly, is on the verge of making a harmful first step with the FDA’s proposed rules. E-cigarettes are not tobacco products and should not be regulated as such E-cigarettes are a boon for public health because they help smokers quit using cigarettes

The article “To regulate or not to regulate? Views on electronic cigarette regulations and beliefs about the reasons for and against regulations” brought forward on the regulation of vapes and electronic cigarettes. This article shows studies that were taken through online polling of adults from Amazon mechanical Turk. The polls took place in May of 2015. Overall the article is about whether to or not to regulate electronic cigarettes or vapes. As most people disagreed with most of the reasons to not regulate the vapes, most did agree with one idea that should be implied if the regulation of vapes and e-cigs “electronic cigarettes” continued. That was if they continued to be regulated then a label warning exclaiming that the products contain nicotine should be added to all devices and products that go along with it.

Should the government regulate E-cigarettes?E- Cigarettes are bad for you and cause harm to your body. E-cigarettes can kill you or you child if the get ahold of the “juice.” The E-cigarettes can last up to 72 hours and with one cigarette it will only up to five minutes or shorter. Even though some people may think that they are better for you but they are actually wrong the “Juice” makes people/kids think that they are not harmful because of the name of what the “juice” is called. Almost 480,00 died because of cigarettes/ one regular cigarette.

Today the biggest question is, “Are they harmful?” Electronic Cigarettes are being tested and thoroughly examined to identify the helpful and hazardous effects they may have. Most importantly, they are being compared to traditional cigarettes to determine whether or not they are a safe alternative for smokers. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are trace amounts of toxic and carcinogenic ingredients found in several cartridge samples of e-cigarettes. The FDA tried to regulate them as drug delivery devices; however, a federal judge ruled in 2010 that it lacked such authority, so the FDA is currently moving to regulate them as tobacco products (Feldman, 2014).

I think e-cigs should be regulated by the FDA in the same way that regular cigarettes are. According to a new federal report in the short article, 1.78 million children and teens have tried the battery-powered devices. Studies show that children and teens that use this technology will most likely to use regular cigarettes. This seems to be the gateway to starting a bad habit. If the FDA knows this, then why aren’t they being regulated? It’s almost like the FDA and the tobacco companies are working together to turn a profit.

Smoking, one of America's favorite pastimes, has fallen under constant fire from legislators who are contending that electronic cigarettes are not only as harmful as their non-electric counterparts, but that the former ought to be regulated as tobacco products. The cases made upon either side stand firm, though legislators find themselves splitting hairs defining upon what is and is not a tobacco product, with vaporizers being such intricate pieces of technology, with only portions of which contain nicotine. The case against the vaporizer stands that while they help users of traditional tobacco kick the habit, they leave an addiction to nicotine, fueling the economy of the vaporizer instead of that of big tobacco. While many will denounce

The 460 brands of e-cigarettes come in over 7,000 flavors. Critics say it is an attempt to get children to start smoking. The children of today will be the creators of the future. Unfortunately, studies prove that cigarettes, as well as e-cigarettes, shorten lives. Who would be in charge of our economy if children decided to start smoking now and risk their lives? Basically, if every child decided to smoke e-cigarettes there may not be a future. Due to the fact that e-cigarettes do not have restrictions on their sales, children and adolescents are allowed to purchase these devices without a drivers license or state ID.

Supporters of the FDA’s regulation argue that if we don’t regulate it like tobacco, the tobacco industry will try to use e-cigarettes to hook non-smokers and children on a product that will serve as a gateway to regular cigarettes. This is a bad argument because first of all, there is no proof that e-cigarettes will act as a gateway. Second, no one agrees that children should have access to e-cigarettes but we shouldn’t prevent adults from having access to it.