A federal appeals court ruled on Dec. 10 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can regulate e-cigarettes like it does conventional cigarettes, stating that the products are "indisputably highly addictive and pose health risks, especially to youth, that are not well understood."

In their 48-page opinion, the three-judge panel called the FDA's decision "entirely rational and nonarbitrary" and urged the agency to require that an e-cigarette manufacturer must show that its products are "consistent with public health" before they can be marketed.

The decision comes after diligent efforts by the ACC and other health care organizations, as well as grassroots advocates, to restrict or ban e-cigarette sales due to health concerns, especially among youth. Most recently, Michigan became the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes, and not long before, Massachusetts became the first state to ban flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Read the full opinion letter by the judges.

Clinical Topics: Prevention, Smoking

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, Tobacco, Public Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, Tobacco Products

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