Experts Caution the FDA Not to Overreact to Teen Vaping

The recent actions and announcements by the FDA regarding the measures it is taking or plans to take in order to stem the tide of teen vaping has many public health experts worried that the agency is overreacting to the events surrounding electronic cigarettes. Consequently, the Attorney General for Iowa, the chair of the Advisory Board of the Center for Health Law and other experts have written a letter to the FDA cautioning it to think carefully about any step that they plan to take or risk causing worse public health problems down the road. For example, they suggest that the agency should distinguish between teens who vape regularly/daily from those who do it once in a while, and then design measures to address regular use rather lumping occasional use with daily use. Similarly, the experts ask the FDA to establish whether daily vapers among adolescents aren’t smokers as well who need e-cigarettes in order to reduce or switch from combustible cigarettes. This letter is a good reminder that one shouldn’t use a sledge hammer to swat a fly. Will the FDA listen to the voice of reason?