The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's plan to regulate electronic cigarettes and other nicotine products gained praise at one San Antonio vaping store.
The use of electronic or e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, is growing in popularity because there is nicotine but no smoke, just a scented vapor.
Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said they are completely unregulated.
"E-cigarettes have the potential to do good (and) they have the potential to do harm," Zeller said. "We have lots of questions about the product safety, what's in them, what the levels are."
The FDA is now taking comments on their proposal to require warnings on e-cigarettes and to regulate the contents. They also propose to regulate how and to whom they are sold.
"I wish, as a regulator, that I could say to folks, 'I know what's in these products and I know what the levels of harm are,' but until these are regulated, the companies aren't required to give FDA any information," Zeller said.
At Lone Star Vaping on the city's Northwest Side, owner David Burgess is all in favor of regulation. He said the government should be looking into what shops are putting into vaping liquid.
"They absolutely should," Burgess said. "I mean, people are ingesting this into their body."
He said his shop is inspected but others may not be.
"There are some that contain alcohol and whatnot and people are putting caffeine in them," Burgess said. "There haven't really been studies on those. I've heard at some of the flea markets and places and some head shops, they put in melatonin and stuff."
Users like Nathaniel Chase sing the praises of vaping. He had a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit when he switched.
"I see a lot of improvements: my skin, running, all kinds of things, so to me it helps a lot," Chase said.
He says it's better than cigarettes but he knows it's not healthy.
The FDA wants to be able to warn people just how unhealthy it might be. The agency's comment period runs through July 9 and could be extended. After that, regulators will formulate a rule that would allow them to regulate e-cigarettes and other nicotine products.
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