A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report said adverts for electronic cigarettes reach 70 per cent of middle and high school students, warning unrestricted advertising may reverse decades of tobacco control efforts.

CDC noted rules proposed by the Food and Drug Administration to regulate e-cigarettes are being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. E-cigarette adverts use themes of independence, rebellion and sex to appeal to youth, according to the CDC Vital Signs report in the current Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes," said CDC Director Tom Frieden. "I hope all can agree that kids should not use e-cigarettes."
Possible strategies to reduce youth access to vaping devices include limiting tobacco product sales to outlets that do not admit youth, restricting sales near schools, banning Internet sales or requiring age verification to enter the website, the CDC said.
CDC cited data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which also showed use of vaping devices by high school students rose to 13.4 per cent from 1.5 per cent in 2011. Middle school use increased to 3.9 per cent from 0.6 per cent. Spending on e-cigarette advertising rose to USD 115 million (EUR 107 million) from USD 6.4 million in 2011.