Congress, save e-cigarettes from the FDA

In April, House appropriators faced a decision with major ramifications for efforts to combat smoking and protect public health. The Food and Drug Administration is poised to adopt rules that could cripple the e-cigarette industry, obstructing the availability of a safer alternative to cigarettes. The appropriators might be the last line of defense against wrong-headed action by the FDA.

E-cigarettes, and vaping products more generally, don't burn tobacco, allowing them to deliver the nicotine that smokers crave without the cancer-causing tar that kills them. The nicotine solution contains flavoring and propylene glycol which, based on current evidence, is safe when inhaled over the short term – long term follow-up is needed to observe if any harmful effects show up later on. Smokers with asthma who have switched completely or partly to vaping products enjoy improved lung function and blood pressure.