The American Medical Association (AMA) recently released a statement that celebrates the new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Health professionals and officials have been growing increasingly worried about the increased use of electronic cigarettes among American young people. This new rule bans providers from selling e-cigarettes and nicotine delivery products to minors, protecting the young people from potential health consequences of tobacco products.
“The AMA supports the FDA’s new rule and its efforts to ensure the public -- especially young people -- is aware of and protected from these harmful products,” AMA President Steven Stack said. “The new FDA rule, which fills the gap in federal regulations on purchasing, labeling and packaging of e-cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products, is a notable and important step that will ban the sale of these products to minors and improve public health. However, we urge FDA to issue further regulations addressing marketing of these products and banning flavored e-cigarettes, which are particularly enticing to minors.”
For several years, AMA has offered support to efforts against tobacco, aiming to improve the overall health of the general public.
“Doctors see the detrimental health effects of smoking daily,” Stack said. “Patients suffer from many chronic and fatal diseases related to tobacco use, including cancer, heart disease and emphysema. Smoking and tobacco use remain the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. Given what we know about the health effects of tobacco use and the powerful addictive properties of nicotine, today marks a critical step in our country’s efforts to protect the health of Americans and prevent another generation of smokers.”
