Government Targets Vaping: New at Reason

Vaping has helped a lot of people stop smoking cigarettes, advancing the cause of harm reduction. So of course the government is looking to target vaping

J.D. Tuccille reports:

The FDA’s proposed rules, which could officially take effect anytime, would (among other things) require that any vaping products introduced after February 15, 2007 would have to be pulled from the market and reintroduced only after working their way through an approval process established by hostile government nags.

That regulatory gauntlet is almost certain to not only inconvenience vapers, but favor large, established companies accustomed to negotiating bureaucratic mazes—such as tobacco companies.

The FDA’s attitude can probably be predicted by the warnings it has been issuing about the lack of regulation (a gap it’s more than willing to fill) and invitations for tales of “adverse events” with e-cigarettes.

The only thing currently standing in the way of prohibition (and crony capitalism) by regulation is an amendment to the agriculture appropriations bill that would leave vaping products subject to regulation, but would eliminate the requirement that products introduced after the magic 2007 date undergo pre-market approval.

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