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

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed strict new vaping regulations set to 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, has reportedly joined more than 75 lobbyists in an effort to push back the review timeline or prevent the FDA from removing new products from the market, according to a Friday report by The New York Times.

The group argues that tough new regulations could force many e-cigarette companies out of business, which could have harmful effects on public health, as many people have successfully used the technology to quit smoking.

“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, regulators are concerned that some ingredients in e-liquid may still be harmful in their own right, and that vaping may lead to more teenage smokers, a concern 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 previously supported efforts to delay implementation of the new rules. Last year, before the FDA issued its final decision, Republican Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma introduced legislation to block the FDA proposal. Cole, who introduced the bill in the House, secured 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 mounted 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 ahead of Labor Day.