County Environmental Health Director Jeff Dillard presented the changes to commissioners at their meeting today.

In a memo to the board contained in the meeting agenda packet, county Health Director Cardra Burns wrote, “The Federal Drug Administration decided to extend its tobacco authority to additional tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.”

The county board of health in April agreed to update its policy “to clearly state that tobacco products include e-cigarettes.”

In supporting documentation, Burns included a March 28 memo from the state Department of Health

and Human Services Division addressing electronic cigarettes. “These devices are made to look like tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars,” the memo said. “The nicotine cartridge comes in many flavors including menthol, strawberry, banana and chocolate. The flavors may be especially attractive to young people.”

The memo says e-cigarettes and other vapor products are currently not regulated, nor is the marketing. “FDA is expected to regulate e-cigarettes in the near future as a tobacco product.”

The memo states there are more than 200 brands of e-cigarettes on the market, many being advertised as a way to smoke where smoking is prohibited or as a way to quit smoking. “However,” the memo continues, “there is no legal basis for e-cigarettes to be marketed as a smoking cessation aid as they have not been tested in clinical trials.”

While scientists agree the products expose users to far lower levels of toxic chemicals, “Many of the chemicals are still present, just in much lower levels. Of 65 compounds found in e-cigarette aerosol, 26 are listed on the FDA established list of harmful and potentially harmful substances.”

The use of e-cigarette products among middle school and high school students in the United States doubled to 1.78 million in 2012, compared with the year before. “Health experts fear that e-cigarettes can be the gateway to traditional tobacco products,” the memo said.

Said the memo: “If a local health department policy, board of health rule and/or county ordinance on government buildings and/or grounds covers all 'tobacco products,' then our interpretation is that e-cigarettes are included within that definition. As mentioned above, e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is derived from tobacco and, therefore, they are simply another form of tobacco product.”