As the U.S. government prepares to bring oversight to the electronic cigarette market, some local retailers are expressing concern that federal regulators are taking a heavy-handed approach that could effectively snuff out the growing industry.

“I think anybody who relies on the e-cigarette business as their base income or their livelihood, they have to look into other options,” said Terrance Pounds, who owns two e-cigarette stores, including Vapor World in North Toledo.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a sweeping set of rules Thursday that will essentially treat e-cigarettes the same as traditional cigarettes.

The rules ban sales to minors, make it illegal to offer free samples, and include requirements that manufacturers disclose all ingredients and submit products for government review and approval.

The new regulations go into effect in 90 days, although there’s a two-year window for existing products to obtain federal approval. Once the rules are in effect, no new products can hit the market without getting an OK from the government.

While the move was cheered by many health advocates, industry groups say the regulations will effectively remove e-cigarettes from the market because of the high costs associated with getting products authorized to sell.

“There’s definitely need for regulation. In anything there should be some form of regulation. But the regulations they’re trying to put in place is all about money,” Mr. Pounds said.

Trade groups have estimated the cost to get just one product accepted could range into the millions of dollars. The FDA said, on average, those costs are more likely to be in the low hundreds of thousands. The agency also said it plans to work with manufacturers to make the process as easy as possible.

One big point of contention from retailers is that the FDA wants to treat electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products. While the liquids those devices vaporize do contain nicotine, they are not tobacco based.

Michael Wegrzyn, who owns four vape shops in northwest Ohio called Vapors Electronic Smoke Shop, said part of his business is about helping people to quit smoking.

Though more research is needed, studies have suggested that electronic cigarettes and vaping are less dangerous than smoking cigarettes and may be an effective way to help people quit.

Dr. David Grossman, Toledo Lucas-County health commissioner, who noted that cigarettes remain the No. 1 controllable public health threat, generally believes that to be true. That said, he still believes the electronic cigarette industry should be regulated.

Dr. Grossman said it’s important for consumers to know exactly what they’re getting and how much nicotine the liquid contains. He also said it is important to ensure that children are not using electronic cigarettes. He fears that electronic cigarettes could become a gateway of sorts for children to eventually begin smoking traditional cigarettes.

“This is a way of delivering nicotine. But we also regulate these patches,” he said. “The FDA regulates other nicotine products, so I think this should be in this category.”

Mr. Wegrzyn, who similarly believes some regulation is necessary, takes issue with the characterization from the FDA and others that the entire industry is operating with careless abandon.

He has been in business a little more than two years and said his stores get all their liquid from a certified lab that’s run under the direction of a trained chemist. All ingredients are listed, and the stores use child-proof packaging.

“We’re ahead of the curve on that,” he said. “We should do well. A lot of our competitors may not.”

Mr. Wegrzyn intends to go ahead with plans to open another 11 stores.

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at tlinkhorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6134.

First Published May 7, 2016, 4:00 a.m.