New FDA Regulations on E-Cigarettes Means More Protetion for Our Kids; Application for Federal Approval to Cost About $1 Million: Report

By Jude Abastar, Christian Post Contributor Friday, May 06, 2016

The U.S. government announced on Thursday several restrictions over the sale and use of e-cigarettes, during a time when the "safer" alternative to tobacco smoking is gaining ground in the market. The new federal regulations were created by the Food and Drug Administration with the aim of minimizing the exposure of teens and young people to nicotine.

The move, which according to The Washington Post, is the first time the federal government, is taking the multi-million dollar business head on. The report said that the purpose of the federal rule is to slow down the sale of these devices among young individuals. The announcement, however, does not say that e-cigarettes in general should be banned. The rule explicitly provides that all tobacco products that still are not regulated but already on sale since February 2007 will need the approval from FDA. By looking at it, the coverage is practically every e-cigarette out there since the devices used for sniffing nicotine via vapor were literally inexistent before that particular date.

So what happens now is that e-cigarettes currently being sold on the market, including those with different levels of nicotine and flavors, will have to apply for a new federal approval. According to Jeff Stier of the National Center for Public Policy Research via USA Today, the application is expected to be around $1 million in cost.

But e-cigarettes aren't the only ones being regulated; the new rule also includes traditional cigarettes, premium varieties of hand-rolled cigars, hookah, and even pipe tobacco. It explicitly prohibits the sale of the tobacco products mentioned to individuals who are younger than 18. Therefore, everyone who attempts to buy any of those products will have to show photo identification. Likewise, the regulation requires that cigarette tobacco manufacturers put health warning in their labels to inform the ones using them of the health risks involved.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/05/05/feds-expected-announce-final-e-cigarette-rule-could-nearly-ban-them/83951786/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2016/05/e-cigarettes-will-regulated-like-cigarettes-new-federal-rules/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-federal-government-is-about-to-begin-regulating-the-booming-e-cigarette-market/2016/05/05/d22ddec0-130b-11e6-93ae-50921721165d_story.html