40 AGs urge tight regulation of e-cigarettes

BOSTON (AP) -- Forty attorneys general are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to meet its own deadline and regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way it regulates tobacco products.

The letter dated Tuesday is co-sponsored by Massachusetts Attorney Martha Coakley and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. It says e-cigarettes are being marketed to children through cartoon-like advertising characters and by offering fruit and candy flavors, at the same time they are becoming more affordable and available.

The letter says e-cigarettes are also being advertised during prime-time television hours and are portrayed as safe alternatives to traditional cigarettes. But it says they are addictive and capable of delivering high doses of nicotine.

An industry group, the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, says it agrees that e-cigarettes should be regulated as a tobacco product.