What The Political History Of Tobacco In The U.S. Means For E-Cigarettes

The recent controversy around the health risks of vaping is but a small piece in a long history of the tobacco industry in the United States.
The history of regulatory fights over tobacco products goes back to the earliest days of the U.S., University of Virginia assistant professor Sarah Milov writes in her new book "The Cigarette: A Political History."
Like traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes weren’t regulated when they hit the market. Plus, vaping is much more inconspicuous than smoking.
E-cigarette companies benefit from the contradictory definitions of the product — and whether their intended purpose is reducing harm or recreation. These companies argue that they’re “responsible corporate citizens” while selling cotton candy-flavored e-liquid at the same time, she says.
In the late ‘60s, after years of successful anti-smoking advertising, major tobacco companies agreed to a ban on television ads, Milov writes. But companies saved all of the money they would have spent on TV ads and spent it on billboards, magazines and corporate sponsorships.
Milov says she sees a similar willingness to give in to certain regulations when it’s clear public opinion has flipped on a product from e-cigarette companies.