New here, and question about FDA regulations

[Eilrymist]

Hello, I'm a new member here. I don't vape, but my boyfriend does. I'm a Chemistry/Materials Science major at University and I've started mixing my own juices for him to use.

My question is, what type of regulation does the FDA seem to be leaning towards for this industry? I have looked online, but there seem to be so many dissenting opinions. The reason is, I enjoy making these juices and knowing exactly what he is smoking, and being able to customize the nicotine level and flavorings to what he likes. It saves him quite a bit of money and I get to have a mini chem lab at home

Do you think the FDA will start regulating the at home mixing of juices? What are the current selling restrictions as well? The reason I ask is because it seems like anyone can sell their home made mixed juices with little to no regulation. This does concern me because when he bought a juice, it was off. After testing the nicotine, it was completely off what the bottle said. He was sold 18mg, and he ended up getting somewhere around 6mg when I tested. Now, I'd rather for it be less than more for safety concerns, but that is a very very large error that can prove dangerous. Perhaps it was mislabeling, but in light of this, do you believe that more regulation should be put into place?

Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense! Thanks to everyone who posts such detailed information Very helpful for someone who is trying to learn about this but doesn't participate!

 

[raavysaavy]

I don't know what the regulations are, if there are any, but I've thought about this many times myself. It's why I hesitate to purchase some e juices online. I tend to see what everyone else is buying from before I even consider the site.

I have a co worker whose girlfriend actually runs a small side business of mixing e liquids. So I tend to buy most of my juices from her because I "know" her a little bit more than someone online. Otherwise I buy from v2 for some quick and easy e liquids and hope that the size of the company will protect me a little bit.

I actually think that certain parts of the vaping industry could be regulated a bit more, in particular, the e liquid part of everything. However take beer for example. That's heavily regulated, but anyone can still produce pretty much what they want at home. There are regulations that give limits to the amount of beer produced to be considered at home vs. a commercial quantity and some laws that govern stills and such, but nothing stops people from producing what they want at home.

I'm starting to ramble without much direction on where I'm going here, but maybe my point can be derived from what I said.

Raavysaavy

 

[mynewtoy]

check this out
FDA Regulations

basically the way they are proposed now only a few cig-a-like companies will be able to comply

i urge you to join CASAA and follow their calls to action to help fight the FDA. it is free the link is in my sig

 

[bacc.vap]

You'd be hard presed to find a vaper that does'nt want sensible regulation, so we know what's in the liquid, that 5 year olds can't buy it, etc., but that is not the kind of regulation the FDA seems to have in mind. They seem to want complete control over the industry, and to regulate to a point where only a few large companies can even afford the application fees for their products, that would be the big tobacco companies of course. Much is in the air at this point, but that seems to be where they are heading if not stopped. The decisions they are making seem to be a lot less about the safety of the products and well being of the people than making sure the government, tobacco companies, and pharmaceutical companies keep making money. It seems the success of ecigs was a surprise to them, now they got to plan, plot, and cannive to keep rolling in the dough.

There is a ton of info here at ECF concerning regulation. Electronic Cigarette News and Campaigning

 

[Susan~S]

Do you think the FDA will start regulating the at home mixing of juices?

The only item used in DIY e-liquids that the FDA could regulate is the nicotine base.

 

[Eilrymist]

Ahh I see. Not being able to get the nicotine base would make DIY mixing very hard.

I do not agree with the FDA doing so much regulation. I enjoy being able to DIY and having a community interested in each other and looking out for each other. Letting only a select few make juices kills competition, gives companies more ability to overcharge and under deliver. It generally makes it worse for all of us (at least in my humble opinion. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes!).

Another thing I noticed is when my boyfriend and I were buying juice and batteries in person, we were not carded once for the items. This makes me wonder if teenagers are carded. I mean, these juices contain nicotine and I don't want teenagers to be getting into an addictive habit. I think ecigs are great for people who are quitting, but I don't want young people to be able to get their hands on liquid with nicotine in them.

 

[Catdumpling]

You'd be hard presed to find a vaper that does'nt want sensible regulation, so we know what's in the liquid, that 5 year olds can't buy it, etc., but that is not the kind of regulation the FDA seems to have in mind. They seem to want complete control over the industry, and to regulate to a point where only a few large companies can even afford the application fees for their products, that would be the big tobacco companies of course. Much is in the air at this point, but that seems to be where they are heading if not stopped. The decisions they are making seem to be a lot less about the safety of the products and well being of the people than making sure the government, tobacco companies, and pharmaceutical companies keep making money. It seems the success of ecigs was a surprise to them, now they got to plan, plot, and cannive to keep rolling in the dough.

There is a ton of info here at ECF concerning regulation. Electronic Cigarette News and Campaigning

^This. Also, even if the tobacco companies are the only ones who end up being able to afford regulation compliance, they wouldn't really care one way or another if ecigs went away entirely. Their interest is in tobacco products, that's where they make the vast majority of their money, and they'd probably have no real incentive to keep producing ecigarette stuff. They know that if the ecig industry is over-regulated into the ground, a lot of people would probably just go right back to tobacco cigarettes and it wouldn't be any skin off their backs.

Ahh I see. Not being able to get the nicotine base would make DIY mixing very hard.

I do not agree with the FDA doing so much regulation. I enjoy being able to DIY and having a community interested in each other and looking out for each other. Letting only a select few make juices kills competition, gives companies more ability to overcharge and under deliver. It generally makes it worse for all of us (at least in my humble opinion. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes!).

Another thing I noticed is when my boyfriend and I were buying juice and batteries in person, we were not carded once for the items. This makes me wonder if teenagers are carded. I mean, these juices contain nicotine and I don't want teenagers to be getting into an addictive habit. I think ecigs are great for people who are quitting, but I don't want young people to be able to get their hands on liquid with nicotine in them.

It depends on where you live: only about half of the US states currently have age restrictions for eliquid. While the vast majority of us agree with age restrictions, your state may not require one yet, in which case that shop wasn't breaking any laws. Here in Colorado, our age limit for ecigarettes (18) was signed into law a couple years ago, and the shop I frequent will card anyone that looks like they could be underage. I even got carded their the first time I went (and I'm 36!), but I just took it as flattery . California absolutely has an age limit though, so that shop should be carding anyone they don't know (but there again, the people who didn't get carded may very well be over 18. They also might be regular customers, in which case the shop probably already carded them in the past.) As far as I know, California has some of the most restrictive ecig laws in the country (outside of maybe NYC); do a Google search for "ecigarette laws by state" and you'll pull up several websites that have a list of all the relevant laws in each state.

Since you are in California, I'd also highly suggest joining CASAA: at the very least it'll alert you any time a new ecigarette law is proposed, what that law says, and how you could help defeat it if it's unreasonable (which is most of them.)

 

[bacc.vap]

Ahh I see. Not being able to get the nicotine base would make DIY mixing very hard.

I mean, these juices contain nicotine and I don't want teenagers to be getting into an addictive habit.

Some interesting info about the proven addictiveness of nicotine, or lack there of. Nicotine Propaganda
This info is not a surprise to me after knowing what I know now since I started vaping. When I smoked cigs I would have ran out to get some no matter what time of day or night, if I ran out. Since i've been vaping I've even vaped 0 nic liquid by accident for a few weeks till I realized it, but I went back to nic, because I like it.

 

[Evie Luv]

Another thing I noticed is when my boyfriend and I were buying juice and batteries in person, we were not carded once for the items. This makes me wonder if teenagers are carded. I mean, these juices contain nicotine and I don't want teenagers to be getting into an addictive habit. I think ecigs are great for people who are quitting, but I don't want young people to be able to get their hands on liquid with nicotine in them.

I agree and disagree.

I have a son who will be a senior this next year. He has friends who have smoked and dipped since they were in the 9th grade. I've caught him dipping. I don't want my son who is under legal age smoking, dipping or vaping ever. I don't want him getting hooked on something I'm desparetly trying to quit. But they get their hands on cigarettes, dip and beer no matter what parents or government decide.

I also have a son who is 19, he started smoking and I'm not happy about it. I'm desparetly trying my best to get him to stop and try vaping. I feel vaping is healthier than smoking or dipping. Vaping has thousands less chemicals in it than smoking does. Do I know all the dangers possible from vaping - no. But I do feel vaping is the safer alternative to smoking. I wish my son had just picked up a hookah or other store e-cig before he bought a pack of cigarettes. My 2 cent rant.

 

[Maestro]

Nicotine is in the same class as caffeine. It's addictive if used excessively for long periods, but otherwise fairly benign. It doesn't cause any health concerns in moderate doses, but is dangerous in large doses. Isn't it odd how concerned everyone is about nicotine being used by "children", when the same child can walk into any store, buy some fruit-flavored energy drinks, and ingest dangerous levels of caffeine? These energy drinks are far more dangerous than vaping, but a child drinking a red bull gets an unconcerned shrug while a child vaping sends everyone running in circles and flapping their hands.

 

[CMD-Ky]

To sum it all up, no one knows what's coming.

Hello, I'm a new member here. I don't vape, but my boyfriend does. I'm a Chemistry/Materials Science major at University and I've started mixing my own juices for him to use.

My question is, what type of regulation does the FDA seem to be leaning towards for this industry? I have looked online, but there seem to be so many dissenting opinions...

 

[daviedog]

FDA doesn't regulate bottled water. At least not until Big Corpa" wants to corner the market..

 

[zoiDman]

Ahh I see. Not being able to get the nicotine base would make DIY mixing very hard.

...

I think that Kinda Sums it Up in a Nutshell.

Also, even if Nicotine Base was still Allowed to be Sold but was Restricted from being Shipped via the USPS or Other Carriers, it would put a Serious Crimp in how many People Sold Nicotine Base. And where people could get it.

Don't lose track of the Coming Restrictions / Regulations are going to be on People Selling "Tobacco Products". So if a person starts to look at it from that Perspective, and Not from the Perspective of the User, more things become Clear.

BTW - Are there Many Shops where you Live that e-Cigarettes and e-Liquids?

 

[tj99959]

Fact: Every person on planet earth is addicted to nicotine ... they just don't know it, or even think about it. Nicotine is in our diet, and always has been.

 

[Vaslovik]

FDA doesn't regulate bottled water. At least not until Big Corpa" wants to corner the market..

Big Corpa is already doing that, Nestle is buying up all the spring water in California fast. In Mt. Shasta they have bought it all up, and the locals can't have any if drought hits there. I'm just waiting for Big Corpa to buy up all the air, and start billing us for breathing it.

 

[Eilrymist]

I live in in the Los Angeles area, so there are tons and tons of vape shops. I live in a suburb but I can easily get to down town. Even in the suburb, there are many smoke shops. Venice will always have them as well. I'm sure of that!

 

[Eilrymist]

Big Corpa is already doing that, Nestle is buying up all the spring water in California fast. In Mt. Shasta they have bought it all up, and the locals can't have any if drought hits there. I'm just waiting for Big Corpa to buy up all the air, and start billing us for breathing it.

That's pretty awful! It's water. We should all have access to water, not pay up the (....) for it.

 

[Bill Oso]

They're going to tax the out of nic solution and those that sell e-liquid with nic in it, online or B&M. Maybe devices at B&M stores will be taxed as well but it will be nearly impossible to stop/tax online purchases of hardware.

 

[edyle]

Hello, I'm a new member here. I don't vape, but my boyfriend does. I'm a Chemistry/Materials Science major at University and I've started mixing my own juices for him to use.

My question is, what type of regulation does the FDA seem to be leaning towards for this industry? I have looked online, but there seem to be so many dissenting opinions. The reason is, I enjoy making these juices and knowing exactly what he is smoking, and being able to customize the nicotine level and flavorings to what he likes. It saves him quite a bit of money and I get to have a mini chem lab at home

Do you think the FDA will start regulating the at home mixing of juices? What are the current selling restrictions as well? The reason I ask is because it seems like anyone can sell their home made mixed juices with little to no regulation. This does concern me because when he bought a juice, it was off. After testing the nicotine, it was completely off what the bottle said. He was sold 18mg, and he ended up getting somewhere around 6mg when I tested. Now, I'd rather for it be less than more for safety concerns, but that is a very very large error that can prove dangerous. Perhaps it was mislabeling, but in light of this, do you believe that more regulation should be put into place?

Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense! Thanks to everyone who posts such detailed information Very helpful for someone who is trying to learn about this but doesn't participate!

That's exactly the kind of problem we'd love to get fixed, but that's not what the FDA is doing.
The FDA is trying to pass "deeming" regulation which means they want to legally "Deem" ecig products as "Tobacco Products", therefore enabling such products fall under existing tobacco regulations.