The FDA is coming down hard on e-cigarettes since their initial
import to the territory of the USA in 2006/7. Just two years after that, the FDA directed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to
reject the entry of e-cigarettesinto the US. The rejection was based on the fact that the FDA
first characterized them as drug delivery devices.
This sparked a controversy and even a lawsuit against the FDA. Company “Smoking Everywhere”, whose delivery was rejected, aimed to, well, just point to the FDA that by their previous doings e-cigarettes rather fit under a
tobacco product, and by no means under a drug delivery product. While e-cigs are not smoking cessation products, an interesting comparison with other products can be found
here.
The fuss made it even into the Oval Office, with President Obama signing the law
Family Smoking Prevention and tobacco Control Act. With this Act, Obama gave power to the FDA over the tobacco industry. With such power in its hands, the FDA still sharply defended the opinion that e-cigs are drug delivery products
