Another new salvo of anti-vaping bills on the move and it's almost like

April 22, 2019

the government has nothing better to do than to fiddle with eLiquid and vape device legislation, when we all know there are so many more serious issues facing our country right now. Poverty, opioid addiction, healthcare, infrastructure, voting interference, privacy, security? Naw, let's just focus congress to expunge the irresponsibility of dim witted parents that can’t keep a Juul out of their own kids mouth.

Another bill designed to evaporate the vaping industry was introduced last Tuesday in the House of Representatives. The bill if passed would ban flavors and online sales, and set the minimum age for purchasing vapes at 21. It would also extract $100 million in FDA user fees from those who make up industry.

That bill’s sponsors are Reps. Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Donna Shalala of Florida, both Democrats. The bill is obviously supported by all major tobacco control and anti-vaping groups in Washington.

The bill is touting itself as the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, purports to address youth tobacco use, but despite banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars its authors are clearly focused on vaping, not smoking. It's almost like they just keep copying and pasting the same bills until they eventually merge together into one big bad super bill. 

This bill really goes all out by prohibiting all “characterizing flavors” except tobacco, unless they are specifically approved by the FDA.  It bans online sales,
gives FDA authority to collect $100 million in user fees from the vaping industry, and prohibits sales to anyone under 21. Not only that it orders FDA to issue a rule on the regulation of products using synthetic nicotine, and extends all FDA rules on sales and marketing of cigarettes to vaping products, including advertising rules.

There are other active bills in Congress that include some of these provisions, but none until now have included all of them. Some of the other bills in play are more ore less just smaller versions of this mega abomination of a bill. 

For example HR 2084 (the SCOTT Act) would ban sales to under-21’s, and require an adult signature at delivery for products sold online. The SAFE Kids Act  would ban flavors. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s HR 293 would ban flavors and tax vapor products like cigarettes. There is also a bill introduced by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen to assess $150 million in user fees. 

As always, we urge you to contact your representatives and let them know you're sick of these vapid attempts to avoid more pressing problems facing the country.  What do you think is going on in their minds to want to focus in on this stuff?  Why aren't they doing their jobs and tackling tougher issues? What is even going on in our government anymore?

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