AMA strengthens electronic cigarette policy to further protect youth

CHICAGO — As the popularity of electronic cigarettes continues to grow among the nation’s youth, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted policy at its Annual Meeting this week to further strengthen its support of regulatory oversight of electronic cigarettes. The new policy urges the federal government to take action to ensure consumers are aware of the ingredients and nicotine content in e-cigarettes, e-cigarette cartridges and e-liquid refills.

“Given that e-cigarette cartridge manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients contained in their products, we are concerned that consumers have an inaccurate reflection of the amount of nicotine and type of substances they’re inhaling when using e-cigarettes. We urge the federal government to move quickly to regulate e-cigarettes and require manufacturers to list the ingredients and nicotine content on product labels — further delaying regulation will only serve to put youth at further risk,” said AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D. “The AMA will continue to advocate for more stringent policies to help keep all harmful tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, out of the hands of our nation’s youth.”