Can New Regulations Really Eliminate the Vaping Crisis?

"E-cigarette lung disease" continues to fester in the U.S. As of October 22, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 1,000 cases of lung damage have been counted in the U.S., of which 33 have been confirmed as deaths.

While both the FDA and the CDC have said that "there is no direct evidence linking e-cigarettes to these cases," various signals of regulatory scrutiny are looming.

The Trump administration recently announced a ban on e-cigarettes, including a ban on the sale of "all non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored and menthol-containing e-cigarettes," and many lawmakers are urging the federal government to take stronger steps to accelerate controls on e-cigarettes.

Several U.S. governors are taking action, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, all of whom have issued executive orders banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in their states.

Legislators and regulators are moving quickly, but are these hasty restrictions addressing the real problem?

Michelle Minton, a senior fellow and policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., wrote on the news site NNY360 that the current ban is ineffective and dangerous. "Not only would a comprehensive ban fail to improve public health issues, it would put consumers at greater risk." ”

"All bans drive consumers to make new choices Now, the ripple effect triggered by a complete ban on e-cigarettes will force people to go back to traditional cigarettes or buy the e-cigarette products they want through the black market. Ultimately, more people could be harmed by smoking or using illegal products. "Michelle Minton said

While the media has repeatedly claimed that the current outbreak of lung disease is linked to "smoking" or "e-cigarettes," not a single case has been linked to legal e-cigarettes A statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clearly states. "E-cigarette products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have played a role in cases of harm." THC is a substance with significant psychological or psychiatric effects.

Meanwhile, most cases occur in states and counties where it is not legally available. Consumers are most likely to purchase these illegally added products through black market channels, Michelmington concluded.

Michelle Minton argues that authorities are hastily using the crisis to spread fear among the public, and anti-smoking advocates are using the confusion to drive the e-cigarette ban into the ground. But the truth is that e-cigarettes have helped thousands of Americans quit smoking over the past decade. Many studies have shown that e-cigarette use is an effective way for smokers to quit, even more so than traditional nicotine replacement therapy.

"We don't yet know what's causing this outbreak or all the possible long-term effects of e-cigarettes However, we do clearly know that smoking kills. Nearly half a million Americans die each year from diseases caused by traditional cigarettes. "Michelle Minton said

In addition, public opinion tends to believe that the popularity of e-cigarettes is driving teens to engage in their use. Michelle Minton points out that many people overlook another fact. Currently, only 0.2 percent of e-cigarette users have no smoking experience. In addition, smoking rates in all age groups have fallen to their lowest levels on record, and flavored e-cigarettes have played a significant role in this process.

Michelle Minton believes that the potential risks of e-cigarettes for teenagers are a real cause for concern However, for adult smokers, e-cigarettes will play a positive role in saving lives. People should have a cautious and objective approach to balancing the risks and benefits it may bring.

Laws should be well-intentioned Currently, American society has achieved a satisfactory solution in discouraging teens from purchasing many adult products (e.g., alcohol and liquor) Because of the life-saving potential of e-cigarettes, it is incumbent on regulators to discover the real issues behind them after careful consideration before taking action.

"At the very least, regulators can learn something from history:Reckless bans usually create more problems than they solve the problem itself Michelle Minton writes