Measure aims to prohibit sale of electronic cigarettes to minors

Frustrated by a lack of federal regulations governing electronic cigarettes, Arizona policy makers are taking the initiative to ban sales of the tobaccoless devices to minors.
Senate Bill 1053, sponsored by Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, makes it a petty offense to sell, give or furnish the cigarettes to underage teens.
E-cigarettes, as they are called, resemble traditional cigarettes and emit a puff of nicotine vapor when inhaled. A major distributor, NJOY, is based in north Scottsdale.
The bill glided through the Senate's Committee of the Whole on Thursday. It must get final approval in the Senatebefore advancing to the House.
According to a Senate bill fact sheet, there are no federal regulations regarding e-cigarettes and they are not required to display health warnings like conventional cigarettes.
Jennifer Boucek of the Arizona Attorney General's Office said the danger lies in the cigarettes' ability to attract young people with flavors such as strawberry and chocolate.
"We believe children are at risk now," Boucek told The Arizona Republic.
Boucek said the Attorney General's Office proposed the idea to Allen, who could not be reached for comment. The law also prohibits minors from accepting or possessing the cigarettes, with fines of up to $300.
Despite efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to detain imports into the United States, a federal judge ruled earlier this month that distributors are free to import them. Electronic cigarettes are largely manufactured in China.
NJOY CEO Jack Leadbeater said the devices are for committed adult smokers only. The company has taken "numerous steps" to ban access of the products to young people, he said.
"We applaud taking steps to protect our youth, while maintaining appropriate access to the adult committed smokers," Leadbeater said.
An opponent of the bill, Rick Galeener, said he is tired of government regulations invading personal freedoms. Galeener, who smokes regular cigarettes, said he believes political correctness has gone too far.
The FDA has denounced the cigarettes as "highly addictive" due to their nicotine content. Public-health experts said that more should be done to regulate marketing of the products, which are mostly sold online and in shopping malls.
An analysis released by the FDA last year showed some samples of the cigarettes contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient found in antifreeze. The analysis has been disputed by distributors and users of the cigarettes.