AUGUSTA, Maine (Legal Newsline) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should act on a proposal to add e-cigarettes to the Tobacco Control Act, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills said this week.
The move would allow the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes like it does for other tobacco products. About a year ago, the administration proposed the change and took public comment on the recommended change until August. However, the FDA hasn't made any subsequent moves since, Mills said.
“It’s hard to believe we are willing to sit back and watch our children develop addictive smoking habits, after we’ve fought so hard to reduce youth smoking and tobacco use in America,” Mills said. “Providing the same regulation of e-cigarettes as we do other tobacco products is critical to stop this new trend in its tracks.”
Mills said the use of e-cigarettes by youth has “skyrocketed” while the FDA refuses to act. A study in 2014 by the University of Michigan found that more teens are using e-cigarettes than any other tobacco products.
Mills and Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller sent a letter to the FDA last week “expressing frustration” that the administration hasn't acted on its proposed change. Zoeller is the chair and Mills is the vice-chair of the Tobacco Committee for the National Association Representing Attorneys General.