Feds announce final e-cigarette rule that nearly bans them
The article neglects to mention that the Congressional Act which forces (?) the FDA's hand, was one that Phillip Morris sponsored and lobbied for. I think this is key to understanding why the FDA is acting like this, seemingly  against public health, while benefiting incumbent cigarette makers.    Passage, if it comes, may be politically impossible without
    the negotiated support of Philip Morris, whose Marlboro
    brand helps make it the American tobacco industry’s biggest
    player.
    
    The company’s central role, in fact, is a reason that some
    antismoking activists worry that the bill is a deal with the
    devil. Philip Morris’s support is also why other major
    tobacco companies — none of which back the legislation — see
    a cunning ploy by Marlboro’s maker to seal the company’s
    dominant position.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/business/01tobacco.html