Michigan Minds podcast: Taming the ‘wild west’ of e-cigarettes

By Terry Kosdrosky

Public Engagement & Impact

 

E-cigarettes are starting to get the attention of regulators. Recently the FDA added restrictions on sales of flavored vaping products in convenience stores and gas stations to keep them out of the hands of minors.

 

In this episode of Michigan Minds, School of Public Health adjunct professor Clifford Douglas explains the paradox of e-cigarettes: while they provide a less harmful alternative to people who have a hard time quitting cigarettes, they  also can be a gateway for young people to become addicted to nicotine.

 

[pippa url=https://player.pippa.io/michigan-minds/episodes/taming-the-wild-west-of-e-cigarettes]

 

Regulators need to promote policies that help longtime smokers quit cigarettes but limit the appeal and availability to young people, he said.

 

“The marketing is pretty much a wild west situation,” Douglas says. “The FDA has got to step in and really regularize this process so that people will be better informed, and these products will be better controlled so people will know what they’re using and what the effect of these products will be.”

 

You can also download Michigan Minds from leading podcast publishers — Apple Podcasts, Google Play, SoundCloud, and Spotify.

 

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