American College of Physicians says ban e-cigarette flavorings, and usage where smoking is banned
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The American College of Physicians has a firm message for policymakers and the public: The Food and Drug Administration should regulate electronic nicotine delivery systems, which include e-cigarettes.
In addition, ACP believes, flavored e-cigarettes should be banned and governments at all levels should extend no-smoking rules to include these products. The College also supports education efforts to explain the risks of e-cigarettes and believes the products should face the same advertising restrictions as traditional cigarettes.
“We think these are common-sense recommendations for products that we don’t know much about,” said Ryan Crowley, a senior associate for health policy in ACP’s Washington, D.C. office. Crowley wrote the organization’s new position paper on electronic nicotine delivery systems, which was published April 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine, according to the ACP’s May 7, 2015 newsletter.
The position paper doesn’t address clinical issues regarding e-cigarettes, Crowley said, though it does call for more research into the health effects of the products. “Right now, the evidence is inconclusive,” he said, noting gaps in such areas as their long-term effects on smokers and their impact on bystanders.