The FDA put the vaping industry on notice this month, issuing warning letters and fines to five major manufacturers and more than 1,300 retailers who have illegally sold e-cigarette products to minors. The move by the FDA stems from the agency’s identifying signs that youth use of electronic cigarettes has reached epidemic proportions.According to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, “We have data to show that use of e-cigarettes, while potentially posing much less harm than combusting tobacco, is not benign. It causes its own health effects. And nicotine use by kids is dangerous. It causes direct effects on their health and their brains.”

The American Lung Association has also identified a lack of government oversight of e-cigarette products and expressed its concern as to the possible health risks involved in their use.