WASHINGTON (AP) – Vape away.
Increasingly popular e-cigarettes and cigar varieties could be exempt from some government safety regulations if House Republicans have their way. It’s a move that alarms Democrats and public health advocates who argue that it could lead to unsafe products.
Legislation approved by a House committee last month would ease rules proposed by the Food and Drug Administration to regulate e-cigarettes for the first time. The legislation would prevent the FDA from requiring retroactive safety reviews of e-cigarettes that are already on the market and exempt some premium and large cigars from those same regulations. E-cigarette products introduced in the future would still undergo the safety reviews.
Vaping and cigar companies have pushed the exemptions, arguing that their products are safer than cigarettes and even help some cigarette smokers quit. They say that many of the small businesses who make their products would go out of business once the rules are in place.
Public health groups say the regulations could allow many newer tobacco products to escape scrutiny just as more people – including teenagers – are using them. As cigarette smoking has decreased in recent years, vaping and cigar smoking has gone up, and some of those products come in flavors appealing to teenagers and young adults.