A medical professor at King Saud University (KSU) has called for a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes, at least in respect of those under the age of 18, according to a story in the Arab News.
Sultan Ayoub Meo, a professor at the KSU’s College of Medicine, said that electronic cigarette use should be regulated in the same way as traditional cigarette smoking is regulated.
“Retail outlets, including pharmacies, must not be allowed to sell it to children and adolescents,” he said.
Meo says he fears that “the huge rise in users could normalize smoking, and undo decades of anti-smoking education and campaigning”.
He pointed out that a number of countries had already banned electronic cigarette use and that some nations had restricted their sales.
France was preparing to place electronic cigarette use on the same legal footing as tobacco smoking was on.