FDA to comply with the law

[rolygate]

Monday April 25th 2011 - FDA announces that they will comply with the law and regulate electronic cigarettes as tobacco products:

Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products

This is the second big win in the US in the war against unjust legislation, the first being the courts' instructions to the FDA that e-cigarettes are not pharmaceuticals and cannot be regulated as such. The FDA traditionally ignores court orders for as long as it can, so Monday's announcement is notice that they accept the courts' decisions and cannot find any more grounds for appeal.

Now, the FDA will rest awhile and figure out their next step. Undoubtedly tobacco controls will eventually be applied and that could mean an attack on flavors and bottled liquids - and perhaps more taxation, since if it is a tobacco product, it can be taxed as a tobacco product. Also, it is not unreasonable to assume that the pharma industry will apply pressure for the PACT Act to be altered to include e-cigarettes, so that mailing of products can be banned, thus killing internet sales.

It seems that we will have a period of peace lasting about a year in both the US and the UK while the pharma industry (via their licensing authorities) work on their next moves. The biggest battles of the war have been won, but there is still a lot of skirmishing to be done. And some of that may be very painful.

For a detailed analysis, see this thread:
FDA to regulate e-cig as tobacco