CA: Bill introduced to legally equate e-cigs to cigarettes.

[Sheepshank]

125. interesting tid bit regarding e-cig evolution

FDA tried to initially control the products as a 'drug delivery vehicle' and because it was being marketed as a smoking cessation product. Something the FDA would normally regulate to ensure ingredients safety and that the product actually does what the promoter says it does.

The original e-cig mfg went to court and successfully won a suite claiming that the FDA does not have jurisdiction over the product. The judge agreed and because the product does contain tobacco (in some cases) and the addictive additives that made tobacco so harmful and difficult to resist, the judge said instead that it could and should be regulated like tobacco.
http://changelabsolutions.org/tobacco-control/question/are-e-cigarettes-regulate

The FDA appealed the lower court’s ruling to the federal Court of Appeals in Washington, DC. A three-judge panel at the Court of Appeals ruled on December 7, 2010 that the lower court was correct. It held that because the NJOY e-cigarettes are not marketed as tobacco cessation aids (such as nicotine gum or patches), the FDA does not have authority over e-cigarettes as a drug or drug delivery device.

The court’s decision limits the FDA’s ability to test NJOY e-cigarettes for safety and prohibits it from banning e-cigarettes entirely. However, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) expressly allows state and local governments to regulate the sale or use of tobacco products, which would include e-cigarettes.[3]

With that in mind, I think states were forced to regulate the product along the same lines as tobacco (since it could not be regulated as a drug) that contains the addictive properties of nicotine.

Most e-cigs are made in China and the safety is so unregulated that several countries incluing liberal old Australia has banned them completely.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2129550/Safety-fears-electronic-cigarettes-unclean-unregulated.html#ixzz2PVYuP9Rj

A lack of regulation has led several countries, including Canada, Australia, and Singapore to ban the products because of fears over possible side-effects.