Indiana Moves to Regulate E-Cig Liquids

Indiana moved closer this week to regulating the liquids that are used in electronic cigarettes, a regulatory focus that goes beyond the measures states and municipalities have been enacting for months.

The bill advanced by a state Senate committee and already passed by the state House would establish requirements for manufacturing safety standards, a ban on the sale of e-cig liquid to minors, and child-proof safety caps, the Associated Press reports. The movement comes as local governments increasingly look to regulate a cigarette alternative that is growing in popularity in the absence of federal rules.

The bill in Indiana would not extend a smoking ban to so-called vaping, something health advocates and the state attorney general had sought. But electronic cigarette business owners told lawmaers that the regulations could force businesses to close.

MORE: The Future of Smoking

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a regulatory blueprint for regulation that would subject electronic cigarettes to the same regulations that apply to new tobacco products, and require disclosure of ingredients in the liquids used, among other things. But it could be many months, or even years, before these rules are enacted.

[AP]