e-cigarette manufacturers lobbying their way out of regulation

~ Jason Schwartz

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Vox reports on the lack of regulation for e-cigarettes:

Electronic cigarette companies are quietly winning the war on regulation by successfully lobbying state legislatures to exclude them from tobacco control laws.

Public health officials and smoke-free advocates say industry-sponsored bills have the veneer of public health—with provisions about banning sales to minors—but avoid the more stringent rules other tobacco products must abide by.

“These are Trojan Horse bills that look good but leave gaping holes in public health regulations,” said Vince Willmore of Tobacco Free Kids. “They result in different penalties and enforcement from regular tobacco products, they exempt e-cigarettes from being included in smoke-free air laws, and some exempt manufacturers from state taxes as well.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.