A court hearing scheduled for Monday could help determine whether e-cigarettes containing nicotine can continue to be imported (and ultimately sold) without any restrictions or required warnings, or if they are subject to the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] - like nicotine gum, nicotine patches, nicotine spray, nicotine inhalers, and even nicotine lollipops - and therefore must prove that they are safe and effective before they can be lawfully sold.

"At stake is whether e-cigarettes can continue to use customers as guinea pigs to determine whether inhaling a mixture of nicotine (a dangerous drug) and propylene glycol (which is used in antifreeze, and may cause respiratory tract irritation) is safe, and whether they can continue to add Cialis and other prescription-only drugs to the mix," says Action on Smoking and
Health (ASH), the organization which filed a legal petition demanding that the FDA begin regulating e-cigarettes.