Are E-Cigarettes Really Tobacco Products?

On Wednesday, California health authorities announced that e-cigarettes pose health risks and should be regulated as strictly as other tobacco products. California has now joined other states and health advocacy groups nationwide in seeking stricter controls on the proliferation of e-cigarettes.

According to the Associated Press, the California Department of Public Health's report states that e-cigarettes emit carcinogenic chemicals and can lead users to become addicted to nicotine. However, the department acknowledges that more research is needed to determine the immediate and long-term health effects of e-cigarettes.

California health department official Ron Chapman stated, "E-cigarettes are not as harmful as regular cigarettes, but they are not harmless. They are not safe."

Chapman noted that if e-cigarette products remain largely unregulated, a new generation of young people will become addicted to nicotine. Last year, 17% of high school seniors reported having used e-cigarettes.

The report states: "If no action is taken, California's more than 20 years of progress in preventing and reducing traditional tobacco use will be undermined, as e-cigarettes will normalize smoking behavior again."

E-cigarettes can heat liquid nicotine into an inhalable gas, but they do not produce tar and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. A nicotine cartridge costs between $5 and $20 and can be reused.

California enacted a ban in 2010 prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. However, the report raised concerns that e-cigarettes are marketed with flavors like cotton candy and gummy bears to attract children.

Reports indicate that the number of children under 5 years old poisoned by e-cigarettes has surged from 7 in 2012 to 154 last year.