FDA Regulations Could Effectively Ban Most Electrionic Cigarettes and E-Liquids!
It's been exactly one year, one week and three days since my last cigarette. I stopped smoking on (05-03-13) Not just smoking I quit tobacco completely, that includes smokeless tobacco as well! Now the very thing that helped me quit is under attack by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
The FDA's new proposed regulations on e-cigs (electronic cigarettes), personal vaporizers and e-liquid would effectively ban most devices and products that are currently in use, or available for purchase. While I certainly agree with some of the regulations including: banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and requiring warning labels.
That seems reasonable enough, even those in the e-cig industry agree to that. It's what comes next that we all have a problem with. The new regulations would require all e-cig / vapor vendors to apply for pre-market approval for each product they offer. So why is this a problem? Well the application process for each product is estimated to require over five thousand hours to prepare and cost over $340 thousand dollars, that's for each device, product and liquid!
Basically this will create an environment where only larger manufactures like big tobacco and pharmaceutical companies will be able to compete. Each have their own e-cig products and offerings, honestly they aren't very popular or effective when compared to other alternatives.
This has everything to do with money and very little to do with health. Why is it that in Europe, which by the way has much, much higher standards when it comes to public health and the regulation of products say e-cigs are much safer? They also are hesitant to over regulate due to the possible negative impact on their citizens.
Most say regulations such as the FDA is proposing, especially the pre-market process will ultimately do more harm than good! As it's written right now the proposed regulations of e-cigs by the FDA will drive most vendors out of business and drive the products you're using today underground. So you'll either break the law to get what you want, or return to using tobacco because what's left on the market isn't worth using.
I tried everything in the past to quit smoking from patches, gums, pills, lozenges even cold turkey, nothing worked until I started vaping! E-cigs aren't marketed or sold as smoking cessation products, even if they do help you to quit cigarettes, at least in my case they did. They're sold as an alternative to smoking. That's how I started vaping, I just wanted something I could use when I wasn't able to smoke. After a few weeks I preferred vaping to smoking. I put out the cigarette and haven't had one since!
So what can we do to keep the FDA from doing all this? Let your voice be heard and take action now before it's too late. Join CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association) It's absolutely FREE to join and it's the best way to fight back. You can submit comments directly to the FDA using CASAA's "Call To Action" section on their site, PLUS stay up to date with all Federal, state and even local legislation as it relates to e-cigs and vaping!
For more information on the proposed FDA regulations you can visit www.thevaporhut.com or www.casaa.org