--- description: The World Health Organization recommended a raft of tighter regulations over the sale and use of e-cigarettes, including a ban on sales to minors, a ban on "vaping" indoors and tighter controls over advertising and flavored products. title: WHO Urges Tighter Regulation of E-Cigarettes image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c0166856724b8c/69868c4ce53aba561a4d2420/ecigarettes1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Addiction](/tag/addiction/) ## Addiction Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # WHO Urges Tighter Regulation of E-Cigarettes  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 26, 2014 12:13 PM CUT  A woman smokes an "Blu" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013. A woman smokes an "Blu" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013.Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 26, 2014 12:13 PM CUT The World Health Organization recommended countries adopt a raft of tighter regulations over the sale and use of e-cigarettes Tuesday, including a ban on sales to minors, a ban on “vaping” indoors and tighter controls over advertising and flavored products. The United Nations agency released a report on Tuesday that acknowledged both the “promise and threat” of the e-cigarette market, Reuters [reports](http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/26/uk-health-who-ecigarettes-idUKKBN0GQ0PX20140826 "undefined"). The authors cast doubt on e-cigarette makers’ claims that the devices could help smokers kick the habit. Until those claims had been substantiated by a stronger body of scientific evidence, the U.N. health agency recommended that countries adopt regulations that would “minimize content and emissions of toxicants.” Suggested regulations include restrictions on advertisements promoting e-cigarettes as a healthy alternative to smoking, prohibitions on sales to minors and sweetened flavors that might appeal to minors and a ban on using the devices indoors. The Food and Drug Administration [proposed](http://time.com/75312/fda-e-cigarettes/ "undefined") similar restrictions on sales to minors and advertising of e-cigarettes in April, but stopped short of banning television advertising or sweetened flavors. The report comes amid a widening divide in the scientific community as to whether e-cigarettes constitute a help or a hindrance in the battle to stop people smoking. A group of 53 scientists signed an open letter to the WHO earlier this year urging officials to resist any measures that might suppress sales of e-cigarettes, calling them “part of the solution” in the fight against smoking. \[[_Reuters_](http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/26/uk-health-who-ecigarettes-idUKKBN0GQ0PX20140826 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3181573/who-e-cigarettes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3181573/who-e-cigarettes/"},"headline":"WHO Urges Tighter Regulation of E-Cigarettes","datePublished":"2014-08-26T12:13:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:51:17.513Z","description":"The United Nations agency acknowledged both the \"promise and threat\" of the $3 billion industry","url":"https://time.com/3181573/who-e-cigarettes/","keywords":["Addiction","Smoking","tobacco","E-Cigarettes","Vaping","WHO","Regulation"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c0166856724b8c/69868c4ce53aba561a4d2420/ecigarettes1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c0166856724b8c/69868c4ce53aba561a4d2420/ecigarettes1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A woman smokes an \"Blu\" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013.","caption":"A woman smokes an \"Blu\" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013.","creditText":"Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/addiction/","name":"Addiction"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3181573/who-e-cigarettes/","name":"WHO Urges Tighter Regulation of E-Cigarettes"}}]}] ```