Time for e-cigarette regulation

摘要

The increasing use of e-cigarettes has been cautiously welcomed by health advocates. The hope is that these devices offer a safe means to deliver nicotine without the array of carcinogenic compounds found in cigarettes. However, there is increasing disquiet over the disconnect between these health objectives and the way in which e-cigarettes are being advertised. Most importantly, new evidence released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sept 6, 2013, shows that use of e-cigarettes by children and teenagers has more than doubled in the past 2 years. There is a real danger of the devices becoming a gateway product, attracting more young people to begin smoking, undoing years of public awareness campaigning on the dangers of smoking.