An executive in the vaping industry accused federal efforts to end youth vaping of being a form of governmental overreach, according to a report by RedState:
“’Let’s get into the facts. I want to be very clear: youth vaping in the United States is dramatically resolved,’ said Tony Abboud, a litigator and government relations professional, who has worked on tobacco and smoking issues for more than 25 years.
“’In total, the youth vaping rate has plummeted 61 percent since 2019, partly thanks to a federal law raising the age to buy all tobacco products to 21 – a law the Vapor Technology Association championed with the White House and Congress,’ he said.
“The hearing was set up as a showcase by Sen. Richard Durbin (D.-IL), who has made crushing vaping a personal mission.
“Durbin wrote a Jan. 16, 2024, letter to Dr. Robert M. Califf, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, blasting the FDA’s reluctance to issue a marketing ban on non-tobacco nicotine:
“‘This repeated failure to meet FDA’s own stated projections tells us FDA is not meeting its obligations under the court order. Given these delays, and with no end in sight, there is absolutely no reason why FDA continues to permit unauthorized e-cigarettes to remain on store shelves. FDA has the tools and the authority to clear the market of unauthorized products today, yet the agency instead is granting a free pass to scores of vaping products that are harming the health of children in our country.’
“Vaping has been a conservative pet project for a decade, a movement led by Grover Norquist, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist argues that the Republican Party could convert vapers into voters because they are otherwise apolitical, and part of a lifestyle and subculture more associated with the Democrats.”
To read the entire article by RedState, please click HERE.