After reading the proposal and many articles covering it and breaking it down, we’re left wondering what actions should we take. The regulation proposal wasn’t as bad as many of us have thought, but digging deeper, it’s not that great either.
The FDA has a way of wording things so that we see the portions of text that are positive, however, there are portions that many may skip over or more importantly, misunderstand. I’m not an expert of any kind, so I look to those that deal in this section of the electronic cigarette industry each day – such as the Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association. CASAA are the soldiers fighting on the frontlines for the electronic cigarette industry, and have been since day 1. They’ve fought many bans and have went before many panels to ensure we are able to continue using electronic cigarettes as we like.
CASAA recently put out an Assessment of FDA Deeming Regulation, and this was the key points made within the article.
Yesterday’s FDA draft deeming regulation regarding e-cigarettes, other smoke-free alternatives, and other products is not as bad on its face as it might have been. However, a full review — in the context of background knowledge and institutional analysis — reveals that the proposed regulation is inappropriate, ill-founded, and potentially devastating for consumers.
- The proposed regulation of non-combustible tobacco products, particularly including e-cigarettes, does almost nothing to address any real problems.
- There is no recognition of consumer interests.
- The rules would eliminate the small businesses that provide the high-quality e-cigarette products that experienced vapers prefer.
- The scientific claims made by FDA are flawed and biased.
You can read further into CASAA’s assessment here. I urge you to read it so that you get a clear understanding of just what this proposed regulation means for us as consumers and the industry as a whole.
Being that CASAA is very experienced in this field, we will take direction from them on which ways to take action – something we all want to do. This is what they had to say:
It is our current assessment that these proposed regulations are not in the best interests of consumers. They include some good provisions, but do far more harm than good. They are based on arbitrary claims and rationalizations. Should the regulations be finalized as currently formulated and implied, we are prepared to marshal our resources to file a lawsuit on behalf of consumers.
We expect to provide further analysis on Monday, April 28th, 2014. In the next week or two, we will issue a Call to Action detailing how the proposed regulations affect consumers along with suggested actions so that consumers can respond most effectively. Please remember that a comment to the FDA regulations made on Day 1 is given no more weight than a comment made on Day 75. We urge the vaping community and others interested in opposing regulation that discourages tobacco harm reduction to await further analysis before acting. There is no benefit in acting or opining precipitously.
With that said, we will wait for direction and then take action to fight for our rights, and for vaping. I will update you all as I learn more.
If you would like to keep up-to-date with CASAA, you can do so at: www.CASAA.org
