Tobacco Harm Reduction's Commentary on FDA Warnings

[Vocalek]

FDA effectively shutting down e-cigarettes « Tobacco Harm Reduction: News & Opinions

Back in 1987, a product very much like the modern e-cigarette was also turned down for being a new drug delivery device (originally noted on the NJOY site, and here is the official document). And the concerns of safety appear to be about the nicotine being addictive...

...With any luck another judicial challenge will stay the execution of this product but this brought to mind my own dystopian daydream some time ago when the MHRA challenge in Britain first arose, and in memory of the Canadian ban which came slamming down so soon when this product came out. The daydream, which echoes the 1987 stop, was of years from now looking back at this time and thinking we had had one of the best answers within our grasp and it was shut down, and ironically it was shut down through a combination of simple bureaucracy and anti-smoking sentiment (the latter being most ironic of all).

Suppose now if the 1987 e-cigarette had come out in that year and been as successful as they are now. 23 years of smokers switching over. The math is beyond me but even if 20% of smokers switched there would be hundreds of thousands more alive today.

 

[Arthur Dent]

The piece doesn't really match the headline about "effectively shutting down e-cigarettes." To the writer's credit, he notes that the recent round of "warning" letters focused on health and smoking cessation claims. Still disturbing, especially where they targeted testimonials, but not as apocalyptic as the headline sounded.

 

[voltaire]

Luckily, this time the cat is decidedly out of the bag, and try as they might, they can only hope to stunt the growth of ecigs this time around. That would be unfortunate, and we should still fight against it, but there is just no way for them to put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube now - and I think they're probably starting to realize that. Hopefully, that realization fully hits home a couple of weeks from now.

 

[Infernal2]

I've sent some of this information to Erowid.org, a harm reduction clearing house. I'm curious as to whether or not they pursue this issue.