Should Young People Be Banned From Buying E-Cigarettes?

By Danna Walker

Attorney General Doug Gansler is asking federal regulators to ban sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and stop e-cigarette companies from marketing to youths.

Gansler was one of 40 attorneys general across the country to send a letter to the Food and Drug Administration asking to “move quickly to ensure that all tobacco products are tested and regulated to ensure that companies do not continue to sell or advertise to our nation’s youth,” according to the letter.

There are no federal age restrictions on e-cigarettes and no rules about advertising e-cigarettes to youths. Big tobacco companies have recently entered the e-cigarette market and e-cigarette sales are expected to reach $1.7 billion this year, according to news reports.

Read the full letter at the National Association of Attorneys General’s website.

What do you think? Should the federal government ban e-cigarette sales to minors and should e-cigarette companies not market to youths? Let us know in the comments section below.