New Britain Herald (Conn.), Aug. 8:

We applaud new federal regulations for electronic cigarettes. The rules, which went into effect Monday, now require the Food and Drug Administration to approve all e-cigarette products, though manufacturers will be able to keep selling their wares for up to two years while they submit a new production application, plus an additional year while the FDA reviews it.

The ruling reflects concerns by anti-tobacco groups; they were increasingly worried about these products becoming a “gateway” to tobacco use – and they were afraid that their popularity was growing among young people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarette use among high school students rose from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2015. Federal health officials estimate about 3 million middle and high school students use e-cigarettes.

“E-cigarette use is a major public health issue, and understanding use among youth is critical to inform youth-directed prevention efforts,” said psychiatry professor Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, who, with Yale postdoctoral fellow Krysten Bold, analyzed data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. Their report was summarized in Monday’s New Haven Register.

They found that more than one in six high school students used e-cigarettes in 2015. Youths say the reasons are low cost and an attempt to quit smoking cigarettes. The causes compare with those reported in 2013, when curiosity, attractive flavors of vaping liquid and use by friends were cited as motivation for using the nicotine-laced e-cigs.

The long-term consequences of vaping vs. smoking are unclear in this young cohort; however, the survey found that 80 percent of those who tried e-cigarettes were still smoking them six months later.

As of this week, “long-term” may have to wait until the young people turn 18. Under the new regulations, vape shops cannot give free samples to customers or sell to people younger than 18. Merchants will be required to ask for identification from customers who appear to be under the age of 27. And vending machine sales of e-cigarettes are prohibited unless the machines are in adult-only facilities.

Perhaps, by the time these kids become adults, these devices won’t seem as attractive.