The e-cigarette industry has been in a legislative grey zone since its inception, and has managed to channel a staggering worth of $2.5 billion. Originally promoted as an alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes (a $100 billion industry on its own), health groups across the nation have touted possible negative health risks associated with the product.

In April of this year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed the ban of e-cigarettes to consumers under the age of 18 and proposed the requirement of all products and their associated marketing to be FDA-approved before being sold. The proposal was met with half-hearted support and further demands to tighten regulation surrounding the product.

29 state attorneys general from states including California, Illinois, and New York, addressed their concerns through a 33-page letter to the FDA submitted this past Friday. “While the Proposed Rule addresses some of our concerns, it fails to address matters of particular concern, such as characterizing flavors, the marketing of e-cigarettes, and the sale of tobacco products over the Internet,” states the letter.

The letter proposed tighter regulations on the flavour availabilities, television marketing and online sales of e-cigarettes, all factors that make the product more enticing to a youth audience. The letter expressed its interest in a flavour ban similar to that in 2009, that banned all flavours except for methanol in traditional cigarettes, in the interest of public, namely youth interest. “Such a ban would complement the FDA’s proposal to age-restrict these products,” reads the letter.

Attorney General of New York Eric Schneiderman further commented on the addictive nature of e-cigarettes, stating its equivalence to traditional cigarettes, despite the exclusion of tobacco. He additionally stated that e-cigarettes are being glamourized on television nowadays the same way traditional cigarettes were glamourized in television before the commercials were banned.

The consequent exposure of youth to the nicotine present in e-cigarettes is precariously present due to the prime-time television marketing spots bought by e-cigarette companies. Various studies have implicated nicotine in the decline of adolescent development of neurological functions including memory and impulse. According to a government study, the percentage of high-school students who had tried an e-cigarette climbed from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10 percent in 2012.

The letter is overwhelmingly supportive of adopting the same rules to market and advertise e-cigarettes, as are imposed upon the traditional cigarette industry. “We urge you to not only adopt the proposed deeming rule, but to also take the actions recommended herein as appropriate for the protection  of public health,” urged the 29 state attorneys general.