US bans sale of e-cigarettes to minors

Miami

THE United States on Thursday issued a sweeping ban on sales of e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and hookahs to those under 18, marking the first time these products have been federally regulated. The ban will go into effect in 90 days, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which issued the final rule after several years of study and debate.

Until now, the marketplace for tobacco products outside of traditional cigarettes has been like "the wild, wild west", said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. "This final rule is a foundational step that enables the FDA to regulate products that young people were using at alarming rates - like e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah tobacco - which had gone largely unregulated."