In the United States the e-cigarette will probably never cease to be debated ... Last Monday two senators, Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced their intention to introduce a bill that aims to regulate the flavors contained in e-cigarettes.
PROTECT CHILDREN AGAINST VAPOTAGE PRODUCTS!
Will the United States tackle the aromas contained in e-liquids? Last Monday two senators, Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have indeed decided to present a bill that aims to regulate them. Some experts are already saying that this bill is a step forward in preventing young people from trying e-cigarettes.
This bill which bears the name of " SAFE Kids Would require e-cigarette manufacturers to prove that the flavors used in their e-liquids are not harmful and do not encourage children to consume nicotine. If these requirements are not met, the products would not be allowed to remain on the market.
« I am convinced that the e-cigarette represents the "renewal of smoking", an organization of Big Tobacco to capture the new generation“Senator Durbin said in a statement. According to him, the famous e-liquid recipes include “ flavors that shamelessly appeal to children"
This is not the first time that regulators have attacked flavors in tobacco products. In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration banned all flavors in cigarettes except menthol. According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the ban worked: teens were 17% less likely to become smokers. But the FDA didn't have the power to regulate e-cigarettes until 2016, and these products fell under the flavor ban.
FDA DOESN'T HAVE A TIMELINE FOR REGULATION DEVELOPMENT YET
While the FDA is also starting to study the regulation of e-cigarette flavorings, it is still far from having a solution. In March, the agency began soliciting comments from the public on topics such as the safety of flavors used in e-liquids and the potential " gateway effect"
« The troubling reality is that e-cigarettes are the most common tobacco product used by college students. Regarding aromas, they are identified as one of the three main reasons for their use“Said the commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Nevertheless, it must be understood that for the moment, the agency is only gathering information: there is still no timetable for drafting a new regulation.
But for Durbin and other public health specialists this is not going fast enough and they fear that children will be attracted to the e-cigarette because of the flavors offered and end up being hooked because of the nicotine.
« Tobacco is a terrible tasting product. It is not something you like immediately after consuming it ", said Ilana Knopf, Director, Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy, Northeastern University. " It must be understood that the flavors are really basic products“, She says, adding that you can compare it to the spoonful of sugar that you add to drugs.
The other problem remains whether these flavors are safe. The FDA, for its part, considers that many of the aromas contained in e-liquids are not dangerous without having the assurance that they may be good for inhalation.
The bill proposed by Senators Durbin and Murkowski would give e-cigarette manufacturers one year to provide evidence that their flavors are safe, that they help adults get rid of tobacco, and that they do not attempt them. children. We also understand that another goal is sought: That of pushing the FDA to regulate vaping as quickly as possible.
