E-cigarettes are about to become a regulated product. The Food and Drug Administration is set to propose a regulatory plan Thursday that will also put some restrictions on the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to minors. Though the FDA stopped short of banning advertising, it does propose to prohibit sales to minors, halt the distribution of free samples and require health warnings and ingredients labels. Following a 75-day comment period, the FDA will finalize the rules. The e-cigarette companies would have to comply with the marketing and sales restrictions almost immediately, but would have two years to submit their products for the FDA’s review and approval. "This is an important moment for consumer protection and a significant proposal that if finalized as written would bring FDA oversight to many new tobacco products," said FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D. The fast-growing e-cigarette business has mushroomed into a $2 billion industry, generating plenty of controversy and calls from lawmakers that the industry's marketing tactics should be regulated. "It's like the wild, wild west," Hamburg said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "The products are evolving with no regulatory oversight and are being marketed in ways that are very owrrisome," she said. Depending on your point of view, e-cigarettes are either a panacea for smokers or a gateway drug. The Centers for Disease Control put out a study last year that e-cigarette use among teens has surged; more recently the agency released data showing an increase in reported poison incidents among children under 6.