Doctors challenge e-cigarettes

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The American Medical Association (AMA) wants e-cigarettes regulated like other drug delivery devices. The doctor's group adopted that policy this week at a meeting in Chicago.

A doctor with the Wisconsin Medical Society who is attending the AMA's annual meeting says e-cigarettes are marketed as something they aren't. Michael Miller says e-cigarettes are a scam. He says the battery powered nicotine delivery system is used by some consumers who think it can help them cut back on smoking--even though there are no studies showing that. He says e-cigarettes are often marketed as a reduction process, or sometimes a substitute.

“So you can continue dose yourself with nicotine, not go into withdrawal and use them in places where smoking is forbidden,” explains Miller. ”Some people even think it would be okay to use them on airplanes which would be disastrous."

An ingredient found in antifreeze is the vaporizing agent in e-cigarettes that heats the nicotine. Without Food and Drug Administration review, Miller says it's uncertain whether inhalation of ethylene glycol is safe. Furthermore, he says nicotine constricts blood vessels and can raise blood pressure, whether or not someone's smoking.

The AMA’s new policy calling for FDA regulation of e-cigarettes is a result of a report on the potential health impacts of such devices.

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