CASAA Call to Action: I have always felt that the real battle about the FDA Vaping regulations will occur in Congress which is the final step in the regulatory procedure. Only Congress can reject the FDA and remove them from the equation entirely. In my view, it’s unreasonable to expect any significant modification from FDA’s Mitch Zeller ( a Pharmaceutical Lobbyist when appointed to the FDA ) and or CDC’s Tim McAfee. Zeller has twisted and contorted the FDA definition of a tobacco product as anything which is derived from tobacco and McAfee has chosen to lie when the CDC states “…Emerging tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and hookahs are quickly gaining popularity…” Source
Perhaps I need to clarify my thinking for you. My first and best “fight” is NOT to ask Congress to mitigate or modify any provision of the FDA vaping regulations released in April of 2014. What I want to do and hope others will see my logic is to convince Congress that the FDA and or the CDC is not, will not, and never has been the appropriate agency to regulate Vaping. In future articles I will cover the numerous scandals, and the significant appearances of conflicts with Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the FDA. In case you can’t wait, here are three Google search links for your reading pleasure:
FDA Scandals
Dr. Hamburg Scandals
CDC Scandals
My first talking point with Congress: “A group of 53 leading scientists has warned the World Health Organization (WHO) not to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products, arguing that doing so would jeopardize a major opportunity to slash disease and deaths caused by smoking.”
The letter written to WHO
A list of the signatories to the letter sent to Dr Margaret Chan, Director general of WHO regarding tobacco harm reduction. The signatories and full affiliations are set out below, followed by a table of transparency declarations
I love this catchy thought for Congress: E-cigs could save hundreds of millions of lives