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"E-cigarettes are tobacco products, just like their light-and-puff counterpart. At least that's what a French court determined in a recent ruling that requires anyone who sells e-cigarettes must also have a license to sell tobacco products, such as regular cigarettes and cigars.\nHowever, unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes don't contain tobacco. They emit a vapor that comes from a tube of steamed, nicotine-infused \"juice,\" providing the user with the feeling of smoking. Nevertheless, the French ruling comes at a time when the United States is considering similar legislation that would equate the two. \nSee also: The Rise Of E-Smoke\n\"If they do that, that is as good as handing over the future of the [e-cigarette] industry to the tobacco industry, and a stray few e-cigarette companies that have wall street investors,\"\u00A0Gregory Conley, an adviser to the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association, told\u00A0Mashable.\u00A0\"It might be easier to sell e-cigarettes in France in a few years than it will be to have a business in the United States.\"\nIf the electronic devices were treated like tobacco throughout much of the U.S., retailers such as Walmart would have to sell them behind a counter, where Conley said they would be thrown into direct competition with the \"big three\" tobacco companies \u2014 Lorillard, Reynolds and Altria \u2014 that already have their own brand of e-cigarettes. Those companies control around 80% of the behind-the-counter space in retail stores that is devoted to tobacco products, according to Conley.\nE-cigarette companies would have to fight cigars and other tobacco products to be seen, while the brands owned by tobacco companies would be prominently displayed. Lorillard already owns Blu, a popular brand of e-cigarettes, and the other two are testing their brands in smaller sections of the country. With established customer bases and millions to spend on unregulated e-cigarette advertising, the big brands quickly dominated those markets, as The Wall Street Journal notes.\nYet many e-cigarette companies, from San Francisco to New York City, told\u00A0Mashable they don't fear a takeover from corporate tobacco.\n\u201CMost of the people who sell e-cigarettes in the U.S. already have a tobacco license,\" said Spike Babaian, co-owner of e-cigarette retailer VapeNY. \"The only ones that don\u2019t are the mom-and-pop shops.\"\nThat means many e-cigarette shops won't have to halt sales if the FDA demands they get a license to sell tobacco. Lucky for those small-shop owners, obtaining the license doesn't cost much time or money\u2014about two weeks and $200 in New York City, according to store managers.\n\"Anything that makes money is going to attract corporations, and tobacco happens to be one of those people who have a lot of money and can invest in [e-cigarettes],\" said Jay Sunshine, owner of the e-cigarette store Sunshine Coast in San Francisco. \"I don't think it'll be good, but we'll change with the times and be dynamic.\"\nThe FDA was slated to make a decision on how to classify e-cigarettes in November, but that has been delayed. Without federal guidance, local government officials in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities have forged ahead with their own legislation that would lump the electronic devices in with traditional cigarettes. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed such a bill, but similar proposals in Chicago and New York City have received staunch opposition, some from city officials who would prefer to keep e-cigarettes separate.\nThe FDA announcement, when it comes, is sure to influence how states and cities approach the issue in the future. Until then, they'll have to go it alone.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nImage: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/12/11/french-e-cigarette-ruling/>