Electronic cigarettes are becoming extremely popular in the United States and around the world, as the FDA teeters on regulation for the billion dollar industry. Right now the FDA and other organizations are running studies to test the health effects of e-cigs. Until the FDA enacts federal regulation, how to treat e-cigs has been left up to each individual state. 41 states now prohibit online e-cig sales to minors, but persistent minors are still able to order e-cigs with little resistance. Four states have decided to regulate e-cigs like traditional cigarettes. 14 additional states have prohibited them in specific areas like, educational facilities and state buildings. Many more states, like New York, are submitting proposals to ban e-cigarettes everywhere traditional cigarettes are banned.
The absence of federal regulation, in many cases had made e-cig merchants operate using the honor system. Online e-cig sales have many health advocates concerned, as they believe this a way for teens to get their hands on e-cigs. Identity verification software is available, but many online retailers choose not to install it. In a recent study, 11 minors placed 98 illegal online orders. 75 order went through and of the packages delivered 95 percent did not require a signature. Although software is not ironclad, health advocates believe that responsible e-cig vendors should utilize the free age verification software available to act as a deterrent. But if the vendor is unwilling to adopt age verification software, and operates from a state without regulation, there is little the law can do.
Health advocates worry about the potential of teens to become addicted to e-cigs. Vaping is becoming popular amongst U.S. teens. As daily cigarette use has fallen by 50 percent amongst teens since 2010, they may be drifting towards the tasty flavors and sophisticated aesthetic of e-cigs. Also there is no regulation of how e-cigs are advertised. In many markets, e-cig advertisements are played on television without parental warnings, even though traditional cigarettes have been banned from television for years.
The uncertainty of FDA regulation has created a wild west in the e-cig industry. But vendors, merchants, and health advocates for and against e-cigs seem to welcome cohesive federal legislation. While any regulation is sure to create a decline in the sales of less ethical merchants, it will also give credibility to the industry which would encourage growth in the long term.
While the e-cig market is unregulated, merchants are experiencing huge gains due to no taxation, and television advertising. If you are interested in starting an electronic cigarette merchant account, trust no other payment processor than eMerchantBroker.com.