U.S. lawmakers take aim at e-cigarettes
Youths being targeted by ads, survey suggests
WASHINGTON — E-cigarette makers aim to hook youth on their products using music festivals, free samples and candy-flavoured versions, U.S. Democratic lawmakers said.
The findings, in a survey released by Congress members Monday, should prod U.S. regulators to curb the industry, the lawmakers said. While e-cigarettes currently are unregulated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working on a plan that would extend its tobacco oversight to e-cigarettes.
Six of nine companies surveyed had sponsored or provided free samples at 348 events in the last two years, including the Bonnaroo and Coachella music festivals and Grand Prix races. Six companies, including Green Smoke, acquired April 1 by Altria Group Inc. and Lorillard Inc., also offer flavours such as cherry crush and vanilla dreams.
“These are the same tactics that were used by major cigarette manufacturers before they were banned,” said Rep. Henry Waxman on a conference call. “Our findings demonstrate the FDA regulation of e-cigarettes is necessary to prevent manufacturers from targeting youth with aggressive marketing practices.”
E-cigarettes are battery-powered tubes that simulate the effect of smoking by producing nicotine vapour. The FDA found there isn’t enough information on the products to determine if they’re less harmful than traditional cigarettes, according to a study published Monday in the journal Tobacco Control.
In October, the agency submitted a proposal to oversee the industry to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget that authorizes all regulations. The proposal is still under review at OMB, according to the office’s website.
“This report we’re issuing today should be a prod for them to act,” Waxman said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says e-cigarette-related calls to poison centres rose to 215 a month in February, compared to one a month in September 2010.
Waxman and Sen. Richard Durbin led the investigation. Durbin called e-cigarettes a gateway to smoking rather than a cessation tool as some studies have asserted.
The congressional report calls on the FDA to assert its authority over e-cigarettes and companies to immediately prevent the sale of the products to anyone younger than 18 and refrain from television and radio advertising. The FDA should ban flavoured e-cigarettes that appeal to youth and companies should stop selling them as well, the report said.
Bloomberg Industries estimates global e-cigarette sales may reach $7.5 billion in 2015, compared with $3.5 billion last year. The sales projection almost cuts in half an October estimate of $14 billion in 2015 sales based in part on expected advertising restrictions.