San Francisco proposes legislation to ban e-cigarettes until their effects are reviewed by the FDA
A San Francisco public official proposed on Tuesday what's believed to be the first US ban on electronic cigarettes until the federal government regulates vaping products after several critics have claimed they significantly jeopardize the well being of children, Associated Press reports.
In a joint letter written by city officials from San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, the US Food and Drug Administration was urged to evaluate the effect of e-cigarettes on public health, according to City Attorney Dennis Herrera. While Herrera was of the view that the review should have been conducted before the devices entered the market, the FDA released proposed guidelines last week so that companies can submit applications for the evaluation anytime until 2021.
"The result is that millions of children are already addicted to e-cigarettes and millions more will follow if we don't act," Herrera said on Tuesday.