--- title: E-Cigarette Regulation Recommended by Congressional Democrats description: A group of congressional Democrats stressed the need for federal regulation of e-cigarettes canonical: https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-15T00:07:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:18:20.939Z article:section: Politics og:title: E-Cigarette Regulation Recommended by Congressional Democrats og:description: A group of congressional Democrats stressed the need for federal regulation of e-cigarettes og:url: https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9a46937d61b3614/69868aa4cd804d505ecca4e0/470756121.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Top US Tobacco Companies Enter E-Cigarette Market og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: E-Cigarette Regulation Recommended by Congressional Democrats twitter:description: A group of congressional Democrats stressed the need for federal regulation of e-cigarettes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9a46937d61b3614/69868aa4cd804d505ecca4e0/470756121.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lawmakers to E-Cig Makers: Stop Preying on Minors! by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Apr 15, 2014 12:07 AM UTC  A patron enjoys an electronic cigarette at the Vapor Shark store in Miami on Feb. 20, 2014 A patron enjoys an electronic cigarette at the Vapor Shark store in Miami on Feb. 20, 2014Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Apr 15, 2014 12:07 AM UTC In a report published on Monday, [11 Congress members](http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=06acef25-48b0-4d9a-857a-74f7b4fcd4d5) recommended federal regulations on e-cigarettes that would include banning sales to anyone under 18, halting TV and radio ads, and educating the general public about the risks associated with inhaling nicotine vapors. The [_Gateway to Addiction_](http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve/?File%5Fid=81d14ff7-f2f6-4856-af9d-c20c0b138f8f)report written by the lawmakers’ staff after surveying e-cig makers finds e-cigarette companies are using marketing tactics that appeal to young people, such as handing out samples at events like music festivals, social-media promotion and offering kid-friendly flavors. The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0905-ecigarette-use.html) estimate 1.78 million children and teens tried e-cigarettes in 2012. “E-cigarette makers are starting to prey on kids, just like big tobacco companies,” said Congressman Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California. “With over a million youth now using e-cigarettes, FDA needs to act without further delay to stop companies from marketing their addictive products to children.” Though use is up, the [Food and Drug Administration](http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm172906.htm) has not fully studied the products — according to its website consumers are not aware of the risks of use, the amount of nicotine or other chemicals being inhaled and whether or not there are benefits to smoking e-cigarettes. A New York _Times_ [report](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/business/selling-a-poison-by-the-barrel-liquid-nicotine-for-e-cigarettes.html) from March detailed the potential dangers of the liquid nicotine found in electronic cigarettes, including vomiting, seizures and death. According to the report, six of the surveyed e-cigarette companies support some regulation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/"},"headline":"Lawmakers to E-Cig Makers: Stop Preying on Minors!","datePublished":"2014-04-15T00:07:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:18:20.939Z","description":"In a 43-page report, a group of congressional Democrats led by Dick Durbin of Illinois stressed the need for federal regulation of e-cigarettes, citing marketing efforts aimed at minors and a need for more information on health risks for consumers","url":"https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/","keywords":["health","tobacco","E-Cigarettes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9a46937d61b3614/69868aa4cd804d505ecca4e0/470756121.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9a46937d61b3614/69868aa4cd804d505ecca4e0/470756121.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Top US Tobacco Companies Enter E-Cigarette Market","caption":"Top US Tobacco Companies Enter E-Cigarette Market","creditText":"Joe Raedle—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/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/health/","name":"health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/","name":"Lawmakers to E-Cig Makers: Stop Preying on Minors!"}}]}] ```