The vaping business in America currently sits on a knife edge. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) brought in a new ruling back in May 2016 which meant all vendors selling electronic cigarettes must now seek approval for their products. This pre-market application process is costly enough to put all but the biggest vendors out of business. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a report early in December warning of the risks posed by electronic cigarettes.
Now, experts are hoping President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as the new President in January, succeeding Barack Obama, will turn things around for the industry. Overall, the focus is on making it harder to buy and access electronic cigarettes, and to highlight them as a dangerous product and one that could encourage youngsters to start vaping and smoking.
Six-figure costs for applications
The deadline for submitting applications under the new ruling is 8th August 2018. That may sound like a long time away, but the next 18 months could see the demise of many operators in the industry. It is thought many vendors simply cannot afford the likely costs of the applications, which could be upwards of $100,000 per vendor.
America has sought to make e-cigs the enemy, and has placed them largely in the same category as cigarettes. Yet reports from around the world indicate they are much safer than cigarettes. Here in the UK, vaping is viewed as a legitimate and good way to help people give up smoking. Indeed, many former smokers point to vaping as the method they used to help them quit.
Clearly, the same pattern is not going to be followed in the US unless there is a sea-change in the way vaping is viewed by the government. Experts supporting the vaping industry hope they can get through to President Trump and ask him to identify the crucial differences between cigarettes and vaping.
The R Street Institute has issued a report focusing on eight harm reduction proposals for tobacco to be considered by the government. The report states nicotine is not the most dangerous aspect of smoking, and therefore e-cigs are a much healthier way to take in the substance while helping people quit. The study has been co-written by Clive Bates, who was formerly a director of Action on Smoking and Health in the UK.
Will there be changes?
It would appear the Trump administration currently has far more on its hands than vaping. However, those who created the report are obviously hoping the President sees it and changes current policy regarding electronic cigarettes.
What do you think about the current state of affairs in the US? Do you think the new requirement for approval will decimate the market for vaping? Do you think the law should be changed, and do you think Donald Trump will be the one to do it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. We’d love to hear what you think.
