--- title: Scientists Warn WHO Not To Classify E-Cigarettes as Tobacco Products description: A group of 53 top scientists warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes in the same category as tobacco products. canonical: https://time.com/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/ author: Noah Rayman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-29T13:09:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:06:20.897Z article:section: Health og:title: Scientists Warn WHO Not To Classify E-Cigarettes as Tobacco Products og:description: A group of 53 top scientists warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes in the same category as tobacco products. og:url: https://time.com/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5688bb271cdf8aaf/698688c4cd684876c1093f0d/ecigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A woman smokes a "Blu" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Warn WHO Not To Classify E-Cigarettes as Tobacco Products twitter:description: A group of 53 top scientists warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes in the same category as tobacco products. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5688bb271cdf8aaf/698688c4cd684876c1093f0d/ecigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Scientists to WHO: Don't Classify E-Cigs As Tobacco Products  by [Noah Rayman](https://time.com/author/noah-rayman/)  ## Noah Rayman May 29, 2014 1:09 PM UTC  A woman smokes a "Blu" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013. A woman smokes a "Blu" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013.Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  by [Noah Rayman](https://time.com/author/noah-rayman/)  ## Noah Rayman May 29, 2014 1:09 PM UTC A group of 53 top scientists warned the World Health Organization Thrusday [not to classify e-cigarettes](http://nicotinepolicy.net/n-s-p/1753-who-needs-to-see-ecigs-as-part-of-a-solution) in the same category as other tobacco products, a move that would lead to significant restrictions on the devices in most countries around the world. The scientists say that electronic cigarettes are in fact “part of the solution” in the fight against smoking because they can provide a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, Reuters reports. “Even though most of us would prefer people to quit smoking and using nicotine altogether, experience suggests that many smokers cannot or choose not to give up nicotine and will continue to smoke if there is no safer alternative available that is acceptable to them,” the scientists wrote. The devices have exploded in use and spawned a $3 billion industry worldwide, but the scientific research on their safety and their potential to be a “gateway” to other tobacco products is still developing. If the WHO were to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products—a move they are rumored to be considering, according to Reuters—178 signatories to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would be expected to impose strict measures on them to restrict demand, like raising taxes and banning some forms of advertising. The U.S. is one of the few non-signatories to the FCTC, though the Food and Drug Administration has [moved to regulate](http://time.com/75312/fda-e-cigarettes/) e-cigs. The FCTC is scheduled to meet in October in Moscow, where it will consider any proposed regulations. \[[_Reuters_](http://nicotinepolicy.net/n-s-p/1753-who-needs-to-see-ecigs-as-part-of-a-solution)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/"},"headline":"Scientists to WHO: Don't Classify E-Cigs As Tobacco Products","datePublished":"2014-05-29T13:09:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:06:20.897Z","description":"The move by the WHO would push 178 countries to impose tough restrictions on the products, which some scientists say provide a less harmful alternative for smokers.","url":"https://time.com/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/","keywords":["Addiction","Smoking","E-Cigarettes","health","World Health Organization"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5688bb271cdf8aaf/698688c4cd684876c1093f0d/ecigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Noah Rayman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/noah-rayman/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5688bb271cdf8aaf/698688c4cd684876c1093f0d/ecigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A woman smokes a \"Blu\" e-cigarette in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2013.","caption":"A woman smokes a \"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/135777/e-cigs-tobacco/","name":"Scientists to WHO: Don't Classify E-Cigs As Tobacco Products"}}]}] ```