The World Health Organization has urged governments to ban all flavors of e-cigarettes, treating them as combustible products.
While some believe e-cigarettes are key to reducing deaths and illnesses from smoking, the World Health Organization says "urgent measures" are needed to control them, Reuters reported.
"Children are being recruited and tricked into using e-cigarettes at an early age and can become addicted to nicotine," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He urged countries to implement strict measures, such as banning all flavors of e-cigarettes and introducing tobacco control measures on e-cigarette products. These include high taxes and bans on e-cigarettes in public places.
While the WHO has no authority over national regulations, its recommendations are often adopted voluntarily.
"Regulating e-cigarettes like cigarettes will only deepen misunderstandings about the relative risks of e-cigarettes and send the wrong message to smokers," said Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific and medical affairs at ANDS, adding The WHO's position is "out of touch with reality."
