​Proposed FDA Regulation Will Kill Vaping

Sooner or later, government regulation on e-cigarettes will transpire. Under the proposed deemed FDA regulation, it is not looking too good for vapers, manufacturers, and majority of small business owners in the vape trade.

A proposed 2015 FDA regulation will require all e-cig products before 2007 by reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This proposal will remove around 99% of the vape products currently in the market.

If the regulation gets approved, it will significantly affect the vaping community the ability to select from a wide range of products. This regulation will be harmful to vapers in every way possible limiting on how we choose to vape and how we can do it. This will contribute to big corporations of having total control on the e-cig market.

Americans are misinformed about regulation

Of course this is a debatable topic if regulation is needed to ensure the safety for vapers. While majority of vapers disagree with the regulation because it limits on our selection of products and e-liquids.

Our current freedom allows us to enjoy vaping more pleasantly without limitations. With an abundance of vape products, our selections are boundless with new advancing technology and new selections of flavors to choose from free from regulation.

A news poll asked Americans if the FDA should regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products, and 57% answered yes to it. But the issue with the questions asked does not clarify how regulation will hurt the vape industry, allowing big corporations to take over the market destroying the current industry. It will have a lot to do with money and political connections in getting the FDA to approve a limited amount of products, which more than likely have large and big tobacco corporations take over.

Currently we have over hundreds of devices and e-juice flavors to choose from, but if this regulation passes, it would ban pretty much all vape products leaving us with a few to choose from, which the FDA only allows. While 57% of Americans might support regulation of e-cigarettes, they clearly do not understand the blow back from the proposed regulation, which will lead to individuals turning back to tobacco cigarettes.

Big tobacco companies support tough e-cig regulations in order for them to increase tobacco sales because of the harsh regulations eliminating 99% of the vape products in the market. They also have the money to produce their own e-cig product, with faint competition due to the fact that most vape establishments will go out of business without the financial support and political connections.

Regulation will hurt vapers, former smokers, and small businesses

Regulation not only hurts vapers, it will hurt many small businesses such as vape resellers, and e-liquid manufacturers. This may cause vapers to switch back to traditional cigarettes since our selections are being much limited to what the FDA approves. It can also cause a black market for e-juices and vaporizers. Users will start producing their own juices in order to satisfy their needs since the regulation will restrict e-juice maker’s ability to keep expanding.

It limits the number of manufacturers, which lowers the competition. With fewer competitors, pricing will increase, with reduced improvements of e-liquids and devices. With an open market, it allows manufacturers to keep competing with each other to keep improving their product including more safety with better satisfaction.

It is understandable why FDA wants regulation on e-cigarettes because it contains nicotine, an addictive toxic chemical and the safety for consumers. The suggested regulation will require devices and liquids to be tested and reviewed by the FDA before releasing to the public to ensure it is safe to use. This process can cost manufacturers millions of dollars for the process of having the product undergo the Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA).

The new regulation will require e-cigarettes to be regulated under tobacco products, which will also require e-cigarettes to be taxed under tobacco products. This will affect vapers in many ways, and low prices are one of the reasons why many are choosing vaping over tobacco cigarettes. The taxes will greatly affect vape prices requiring vapers to pay additional for taxes, when choosing vaping over cigarettes is a motive to save money and find a less harmful alternative to tobacco.

Excuses used by those opposing e-cigarettes and vaping

Those favoring FDA regulations are using reasons like, e-cigarettes are targeting young children with sweet, and candy flavored e-juices. This statement is totally baseless, because as adults, we enjoy candy and sweet products also. Most adults would rather vape on something that is sweet and flavored compared to a tasteless e-liquid. To say that vape sellers are targeting children is utterly unfounded just because there are “flavored” e-juices with colorful packaging. Adults have eyes and taste so these factors will attract adults in finding a more tasteful way to vape and since they are the ones who makes the money.

“E-cigs are a gateway to tobacco cigarettes” is another reason those opposing e-cigs are using. Anyone can use a product as a gateway to another product, such as alcohol is a gateway to tobacco cigarette, or the other way around. But pretty much anything or anyone can be a gateway to try another product. Just like beer can be a gateway to hard liquor. E-cigarettes should not be held hostage based on a certain percentage of individuals that actually uses tobacco cigarettes after trying e-cigs, when a larger percentage of cigarette smokers are turning to e-cigarettes instead.

Most vapers will agree that vaping has helped us lay off traditional tobacco cigarettes and reduce our health risk mainly since there is no tar clogging up our lungs. But those who want strict regulations on vaping do not understand why vaping gave us another reason to obtain nicotine and habit in a less harmful way.

A lighter form of regulation

Some type of regulation is needed to maintain the safety of e-cigs especially by increasing the knowledge about the risk and dangers of vaping to those who are willing to take that risk.

Instead of trying to remove the majority of the vape products out in the market, research should be done about the effects of what is contained in e-liquids, by testing many branded e-liquids. FDA can research the ingredients used in e-juices and ban certain ingredients that can be harmful instead of killing the industry as a whole.

Labels should be required to state that e-liquids are adult products and the ingredients used in the product. Also, bottles will need to be child proof. But to require vaping and e-cig to fall under a tobacco product under the FDA is another reason for the government to control how we as adults chose to do with our lives.

Conclusion

Instead of the government trying to interfere with competition and capitalism, competition will bring out the best in products from safety to more efficiency. As personal users of these products, we will root out the bad products and choose the safer of these products. Who would want to vape on a product that we know is dangerous? So manufacturers will keep competing with each other to provide safer devices and e-liquids. We as users, same as resellers will eliminate the poorly made manufacturers without having the FDA regulate the free market.

FDA does not have to eliminate the free market of vaping and e-cigarettes because all it pretty much does is allow big corporations to run the industry. The administration should focus on keeping vaping safer by studying facts behind it and ensure manufacturers are following guidelines to ensure their products are safe instead of having manufacturers have to pay millions of dollars to submit their products to the FDA, which will destroy the market.

If millions of users are using e-cigarette as a better alternative compared to tobacco cigarettes, then regulation will beat the purpose of it by eliminating the huge market, giving smokers much more reasons to switch back to cigarettes. So we must stand up for our freedom to vape because this is America and the government should not tell us how we can vape.