How Vaping Laws Impact the Use and Distribution of e-Cigarettes?

Vaping is the inhaling of aerosol created by an e-cigarette or other similar vaping devices. E-cigarettes are battery-operated vaping devices. Their cartridge is filled with a substance called e-liquid that contains nicotine, flavorings, chemicals, etc. The term vaping is used to denote the use of e-pipes or e-cigarettes because when the battery-powered device heats the e-liquid, it changes to vapors that the user inhales.

Vaping has gathered immense popularity, especially among teens. However, the product contains harmful substances, which necessitates enforcing vaping laws to regulate the usage of vaping devices.

Statistics relating to Vaping

More than 3.6 million users of e-pipes are middle and high schoolers. This data is especially concerning because the adverse effect of nicotine on the adolescent brain is colossal. As per a survey conducted in 2013-2014, enticing and appealing flavors were associated as the primary reason for vaping habits by more than 81 percent of youth e-cigarette users. Almost 80 percent of e-cigarette users use flavored e-pipes with fruit, menthol, candy, and mint flavors. This necessitated a regulation on flavors as well as appropriate labeling on e-pipes to help users make an informed decision about their vaping habits.

Steps to regulate the use of e-cigarette

•    On August 8, 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforced a regulation that covers electronic cigarettes in the ambit of tobacco products.

•    In August 2016, as per a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, recommendations were made to prohibit the use of vaping pipes in indoor areas wherever smoking was prohibited. Following the recommendation, a lot of local and state vaping laws prohibited the use of e-cigarettes in indoor areas excluding bars and restaurants.

•    The vaping laws issued by FDA also restrict the sale of e-pipes and their parts to minors.

•    The FDA recognized the possibility of e-cigarettes being used as drug delivery devices to deliver marijuana and other drugs. Hence, the import and sale of e-cigarettes were subjected to regulation under Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

•    Vaping releases toxic chemicals and aerosol that can cause potential damage to non-smokers in indoor areas. Therefore, some states have extended their indoor smoking bans to cover e-cigarettes and their parts.

•    High schools and middle schools are also trying to combat the vaping-induced illness by banning vaping on school grounds by revising their tobacco rules.

Packaging requirements for vaping devices

Since August 10, 2018, all covered tobacco products (except cigar and pipe tobacco) imported, manufactured, packaged, sold, offered for sale, and distributed in the US are required to bear the warning statement on the package/ label of the tobacco product. This is to ensure that users of e-cigarettes can make an informed decision. Also, there are additional rules regarding font size and text to make the warning statement more prominent and visible.

For products that are too small to contain the warning statement in a readable form must contain the warning on the carton, wrapper, outer container, or a tag permanently attached to a tobacco product package.