Coming Soon to the E-Cigarette Regulation Debate: A Sliver of Clarity

The Food and Drug Administration is set to release proposed regulations on electronic cigarettes by the end of this month, a long awaited move that's been delayed in part by struggles to better understand their potential health risks and benefits. In the meantime, state and local governments have been left to their own devices in regulating just where e-cigarettes can be used and to whom they can be sold, leading to a vast and at times confusing array of outcomes.

A total of 24 states and a growing number of counties, cities and towns currently have laws on the books restricting e-cigarette sales, many of which are aimed at keeping the products away from people under the age of 18. Electronic "vaping" may be a gateway to traditional smoking, the argument goes. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that e-cigarette use also doubled among teens from 2011 and 2012.