On Wednesday, November 4th, White Cloud hosted a live webinar with Jeff Stier, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, to discuss the latest news of the FDA’s Deeming Regulations on e-cigs reaching the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Jeff outlined what this could mean for the vaping industry and what e-cig companies, vape shop owners and consumers can do to make their voices heard in an effort to prevent potentially harmful regulations on e-cigs.
White Cloud’s E-Cigs DeMISTified Webinar Recap
During the most recent installment of White Cloud’s E-Cigs DeMISTified Webinar Series, Jeff Stier provided a bit of insight into the FDA’s Deeming Regulations, which were first proposed in April of 2014. The vaping community has been in a frenzy since the first announcement of the proposed regulations and now, over a year later, the regulations have made their way into the final stages of the lawmaking approval process which involves a review by the OMB.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the FDA’s Deeming Regulations and the role the OMB will play in determining whether or not these regulations should take effect, here is a quick background of the two.
About the FDA’s Deeming Regulations
To this day, we do not know all of the specifics of the FDA’s Deeming Regulations, except for the proposal to deem electronic cigarettes as a tobacco product to be regulated in the same manner, as well as a proposed ban on all e-cig flavors other than regular and menthol tobacco flavors. There has also been information regarding a proposed “grandfather date” of February 15, 2007, which means any electronic cigarette company or vape shop that released products after this date will be required to submit a PreMarket Tobacco Application to the FDA for each product. This also means that every single e-cig device, e-liquid flavor and nicotine strength will require approval.
The FDA’s approval process is extremely expensive; therefore, if every e-cig company and vape shop owner must submit an application of approval for each and every product, this could potentially shut down about 99% of the industry. As a result, it is crucial for the vaping community to pull together and express their views and unique experiences with e-cigs and the potential they may have in helping smokers kick their tobacco habits for good.
About the OMB
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The main role of the OMB is to assist the President in overseeing the preparation of the Federal budget and evaluate the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures.
During the webinar, Jeff stated, “When there are major regulations, the OMB reviews the regulations to make sure that the agency weighed the cost and the benefits of the regulations.” With this point made, Jeff expressed that the vaping community should view the OMB as an ally to stop “bad regulations” and went on to say, “There is a unique opportunity right now to go in and speak with the OMB. They want to hear from you.” During the webinar, Jeff provided information on how the entire vaping community, from e-cig companies and vape shop owners to consumers can contact the OMB to schedule a meeting.
About White Cloud’s E-Cigs DeMISTified Webinar Series
White Cloud created the E-Cigs DeMISTified Webinar Series in an effort to deliver the latest news and views on e-cigs from key leaders in the industry. We believe it is important to keep our customers, as well as the vaping community as a whole, to stay up-to-date on all of the news and events surrounding electronic cigarettes while also providing helpful information on how to ensure the vaping industry continues to thrive. This was the 3rd installment in this webinar series and we look forward to bringing you more informative discussions in the near future.
