Electronic Cigarettes - What Does the FDA Think?

The hottest craze sweeping the USA right now is the electronic cigarette. Maybe you have heard of it, but if you are like most Americans you dont know anything about them. Maybe you heard a radio ad regarding smoke free cigarettes or maybe you saw them at a mall kiosk.

An electronic cig is a device that doesnt have any smoke at all. So in the vast majority of states it is perfectly legal to smoke an electronic cigarette inside. Because in reality, you arent smoking at all. Instead, you end up exhaling a vapor that doesnt contain any tobacco at all. In fact e-cigs are entirely tobacco free cigarettes.

This product is not without controversy however. Due to packaging by some retailers that could be referred to as anything from inappropriate to a bit ahead of itself to common sense, the FDA has stepped in with its own stance on the industry. The FDA believes that the product would require a new drug application. This is an interesting stance, given that nicotine is not a new drug, and each and every other ingredient in e-cigs has been cleared
for human consumption.

While these new smoke free cigarettes are clearly not vegetable, there is nicotine in many vegetables that we eat everyday. So would this mean that the next step would be for the FDA to regulate vegetables? And how much more dangerous than a drug like caffeine is nicotine really? These are the type of questions that society should be asking and probably not allowing the FDA to ask for us. 400,000 smokers are dying every year in this country. This is a serious health emergency, and while the electronic cig wont be a solution for everyone, this is something that might potentially help some smokers.

Industry insiders have said that there are actually people who have quit smoking cigarettes by using electronic cigarettes. While obviously, it would certainly be best for people to stop smoking altogether, making the transition from cigarettes to e-cigs would certainly seem to be a step in the right direction.

Studies done by the FDA could certainly be spun almost anyway youd like, but they cannot be spun that electronic cigarettes are more dangerous than cigarettes. However, the FDA is so set in their position that they tried to spin a generally positive study that found no new information in a very negative light, when in reality the study itself showed that while e-cigs are not perfect, that they might be a quality alternative to a cigarette.
These smoke free cigarettes dont actually have any tobacco in them at all. Instead a liquid nicotine solution is heated to the point of vaporizing, and this vapor is then inhaled by the user.

Many studies are being done by some of the larger electronic cigarette distributors, and a huge amount of testing has been done by the manufacturers. However, since the product is manufactured in China, most of this testing is not considered to be to the standard that would be necessary for the FDA. The FDA, in their battle against e-cigs, has actually seized hundreds of shipments coming into the USA. Even worse than the FDA is the Canadian government. There is one confirmed case where the government, not only seized and returned the shipment to China, but they actually destroyed the shipment.

Whatever the final outcome of this industry is, this is a product with the potential to save many millions of lives. That is not something that should be taken lightly by politicians and this is not an issue where politicians should play politics. However, that is what politicians do, so we have been seeing plenty of politics in this debate.

The primary argument against e-cigs is that they will cause young people to begin smoking cigarettes. The problem with this argument is that this is what already happens. The vast majority of smokers began smoking well before their 18th birthday, and this has historically been a reality. These devices are marketed as an alternative to cigarettes and are not to get people hooked on nicotine. Why would a non-smoker suddenly want to smoke? There has to be some common sense in this argument. Would more non-smokers suddenly try an electronic cigarette or would more smokers try an electronic cigarette. Then one has to decide, is nicotine bad enough that we are willing to sacrifice over 1,000 Americans per day when there is a potential alternative for the many millions of American still hooked on tobacco?

Check out these articles for more information about electronic cigarettes:
Electronic Cigarettes - Advantages Over Tobacco Cigarettes
Advantages of Smoke Free Cigarettes
Electronic Cigarettes - Advantages Over Tobacco Cigarettes