Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has asked the US International Trade Commission to start tracking imports of electronic cigarettes.
Wyden says we know little about how many e-cigarettes are coming into the country, who is manufacturing them, or the ultimate public health implications.
He says it’s time to collect information and impose new regulations.
Stefen Stockwell of Rosecity Vapsters in Portland says he’s not against new regulations, especially for imported products, “The juice is of way poor quality," he said.
"We make our own juice in shop here using all medical grade materials, and food grade flavorings and concentrates. We have a clean-room environment and it’s a very strict process for making juice. We’ve been regulating this all within the industry ourselves for the last couple of years.”
Wyden says the e-cigarette market last year amounted to about $2.5 billion dollars, with 90 percent of products coming from China.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
