Officials in San Francisco have proposed a new law to ban e-cigarette sales until their health effects are evaluated by the US government.<\/p>\n
The law appears to be the first of its kind in the US and seeks to curb a rising usage by young people.<\/p>\n
Critics, however, say it will make it harder for people to kick addiction.<\/p>\n
A second city law would bar making, selling or distributing tobacco on city property and is aimed at an e-cigarette firm renting on Pier 70.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – the national regulator – released its proposed guidelines, giving companies until 2021 to apply to have their e-cigarette products evaluated.<\/p>\n
A deadline had initially been set for August 2018, but the agency later said more preparation time was needed.<\/p>\n
San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera, one of the co-authors of the bill, which is yet to be approved, said reviews should have been done before they were sold.<\/p>\n
“These companies may hide behind the veneer of harm reduction, but let’s be clear, their product is addiction,” said Mr Herrera.<\/p>\n
He added that San Francisco, Chicago and New York had sent a joint letter to the FDA calling on it to investigate the effects of e-cigarettes on public health.<\/p>\n
Anti-vaping activists say companies are deliberately targeting young people by offering flavoured products.<\/p>\n
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of US teenagers who admitted using tobacco products “within the last 30 days” rose 36% between 2017 and 2018 – from 3.6m to 4.9m. It attributes this to a growth in e-cigarette use.<\/p>\n
Last year San Francisco became the first US city to ban flavoured tobacco and vaping liquids, and already prevents smokeless tobacco from being used on playing fields.<\/p>\n
Juul, one of the the most popular US e-cigarette firms, rents space on Pier 70.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the firm said it supported cutting vaping among young people but only in a way that eliminated access to regular cigarettes.<\/p>\n
It asked: “This proposed legislation begs the question – why would the city be comfortable with combustible cigarettes being on shelves when we know they kill more than 480,000 Americans per year?”<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"