You know, I thought of that too but I look at it differently. The FDA tries to ban anything that doesn't bring profits to pharma and other big industries. I have an endocrine problem and no matter which "mix" I tried, synthetic hormones always made me feel worse in other ways even when they alleviated my symptoms. I finally found a holistic doctor who prescribed me bio-identical hormones, which gives me NO side effects and alleviates my symptoms. Amazing! Then I found out the FDA was trying to ban them for ridiculous reasons like "doctors are saying bio-identical hormones are healthier than synthetic but there is no proof of this" and more stupid ideas that I won't go into as it's off topic. But how about the fact that last year alone 20,000 women died from complications with synthetic hormones compared to 12 with bio-identical hormones? Hmmm....However, so many people use bio-identical hormones with wonderful results that the public backlash that would result from banning bio-identicals is making the corrupt FDA take pause on trying to ban them. The more educated people get about bio-identicals, the worse the FDA looks in the public eye for trying to ban them. Now that Oprah and Dr Phil have taken up the cause, I think they will find it next to impossible to ban bio-identicals.
I'm sure they will still try. My point is this - the answer isn't to forgo a great product that could save your life. The true answer is to publicize it, get the word out, get more smokers switching over and reporting the great results to their health, etc. Somebody contact Oprah about e-cigarettes!!! The more good publicity these products get, the more we tie the hands of the FDA. I mean, what is the FDA using right now? Something about traces of some chemical found in one cartridge of a low quality e-cig company, right? But if you read about this, where is the backlash response that the SAME chemical, among thousands of others, is found in analog cigarettes? The answer isn't to give up on it, the answer is to fight it and to educate the public about it. Any time you go against a big profit entity, you will find huge resistance - look at what's going on right now with health care reform! Slavery was a $2billion dollar industry in the 1800s and never would have been abolished if it hadn't been for people willing to stand up for a moral issue. Poisoning people by allowing it to be legal for tobacco companies to add crap like cyanide and formaldehyde to cigarettes is very much a moral issue. As is slavery. As is health care. Create a public outrage over it and you tie their hands and force them to keep it legal. Just my two cents.
