The Food and Drug Administration announced on May 5, Thursday that it will start regulating e-cigarettes, hookahs, and cigars using the same federal regulations as traditional cigarettes.  This regulatory change was proposed in 2014 with the goal of protecting children from tobacco and nicotine products.

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Tobacco products such as e-cigs would be regulated like regular cigarettes under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The regulations will include bans on selling e-cigs to minors, require a photo ID to purchase e-cigarettes, and  forbid electronic cigarettes being sold from vending machines, according to Ars Technica.

In addition, manufactures of the vaping devices would also have to register with the FDA. The federal agency would also require new products that hit the market after Feb. 15, 2007 to complete a  regulatory approval process. This would include nearly all e-cig products since the market is fairly new.         

However, e-cigarette makers can sell their products for a maximum of two years while they are submitted for approval. The grace period could be extended one more year as the FDA reviews their application.

Some critics of the new FDA regulations argue that they will hurt small e-cigarette companies and give "big tobacco" an edge. That is due to the time and money involved in the process.  

They also claim that that following the FDA's regulatory rules could disrupt e-cig users' access to the vaping products. Many smokers are using c-cigarettes as a method for trying to put out their last cigarette.

The FDA's regulations would also require manufactures of tobacco products to report ingredients that could be harmful on packaging. They would also be forbidden from using terms such as "low" and "mild" to show tar/nicotine levels.   

In related news, The European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently ruled in support of legislation that will affect the United Kingdom's e-cigarette market, according to City AM. E-cig makers must notify government agencies about new products half a year before they are launched. This could stop the development of new products and technologies.  

Matthew Moden is a board member of the Independent British Vape Trade Association. He said the ruling is unfair because vaping devices are consumer products rather than tobacco products.

This video takes up if e-cigarettes are dangerous: