Call to subject e-cigarettes to all tobacco-product laws

The American Heart Association has recommended that e-cigarettes containing nicotine should be subject to all laws that apply to such products.

According to the new policy recommendations issued on the use of e-cigarettes, the association has called for strong new regulations to prevent access, tough restrictions on sales and marketing of e-cigarettes to youth.

Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association said that they are fiercely committed to preventing the tobacco industry from addicting another generation of smokers as 20 million Americans have died because of tobacco use in the last 50 years.

Aruni Bhatnagar, lead author and chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Louisville, highlighted the need for rigorous examination of the long-term impact of this new technology on public health, cardiovascular disease and stroke, and pay careful attention to the effect of e-cigarettes on adolescents.

According to recent studies, e-cigarettes may be a gateway to traditional tobacco products for the nation's youth, and could renormalize smoking in our society, which has foregrounded the need to strongly regulate, thoroughly research and closely monitor e-cigarettes.

The guidance was published in the association's journal, Circulation.