America’s Largest Tobacco Company Fights Back Against FDA Vaping Regulations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed tough new regulations on vaping that take effect in August, and the e-cigarette industry is now pushing back.

Altria Group, the nation’s largest tobacco company and the parent company of Philip Morris, among others, has joined forces with 75 lobbyists in an effort to seek review of the rules or stop the FDA from forcing new products off the market, The New York Times reported Friday.

The group argues that the tough new regulations could force many e-cigarette companies out of business, which could harm public health, as many people have successfully quit smoking by using this technology.

“The F.D.A. is blatantly ignoring evidence showing that our products improve people’s lives,” Christian Berkey, CEO of Johnson Creek Enterprises, told The New York Times.

Although the FDA acknowledges that vaping is better than smoking, authorities remain concerned that some ingredients in e-liquid may still be harmful in their own right, and that vaping could lead to more teenagers becoming smokers—an argument that does have some merit.

“Without science-based regulation of all tobacco products, the market has been the Wild West,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, told The New York Times. “[T]hat is how we ended up with a 900 percent increase in e-cigarette use among high school students.”

Altria Group had been preparing for the implementation of the new rules, but last year, ahead of the FDA’s final decision, Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma introduced a measure in the House to block the FDA proposal. Cole’s bill picked up 71 co-sponsors, but it is still pending.

Former Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, in a separate effort, has also been lobbying on behalf of the cigar industry, which also falls under the scope of the FDA regulations.

Likewise, the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association has launched its own lobbying campaign aimed at stopping the burdensome new FDA regulations.

Altria Group was unavailable for comment on the matter because its offices had closed early for Labor Day.