What the FDA’s new regulations mean for vaping

We all know that research suggests vaping is a great tool to help people quit smoking. Despite this, both media and regulatory bodies frequently use scaremongering tactics that paint vaping as a dangerous and harmful industry.

In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration in the US made a ruling that vaping products were to be considered “tobacco products” under the Tobacco Control Act. Not only does this mean that labelling and package restrictions now apply to US vape products, but manufacturers have to submit a Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA) for every product that’s made after Feb 15th, 2007.

The Pre-Market Tobacco Application process

Putting in a PMTA isn’t an easy task. It places a burden on vaping manufacturers to perform scientific studies to prove that vaping has a positive impact on Public Health. E-cigarette Reviewed estimates this cost at around $300,000US per product, which could have vaping manufacturers paying out millions, and even then, there’s no guarantee the FDA will approve vape products for sale.

Vaping is still a cottage industry, and even the big players don’t have that kind of money lying around. We sure don’t! The only people who do are … you guessed it, Big Tobacco.

FDA pushes the deadline back

If you were thinking this news was a bit doom and gloom for vaping in the US (and therefore, for manufacturers like us who had the US as a market), then you’d be right. However, there is one small light at the end of the tunnel.

Recently, the FDA pushed back the deadline for submitting the PTMA for vaping products fro August 2018 until August 2020. The FDA’s commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, made a statement that they were also working on making the PMTA process easier for manufacturers. That’s not much, but it does allow for more time to lobby the US Senate about a potential change to the laws.

The FDA isn’t a fan of the vaping industry because having all these different products on the market makes it much harder for them to control. But as more research comes to light and more advocacy groups bring attention to these issues, things may change.

Obviously, this is a US-based law, so being in New Zealand it doesn’t immediately affect you. But having such a huge potential market cut off can seriously hurt manufacturers and distributors of vaping products. It’s important to be aware of what’s happening around the world and to help when you can by raising the profile of vaping as a viable alternative to help smokers quit.

Check out our range of awesome vape gear on the NZVAPOR website.