Despite fears that the Biden administration will clamp down on vaping products (as we have already seen through the PACT Act and enforcement of PMTA), there may be another path that the Biden administration will take: limiting the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. This was an objective of former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb. In this edition of State of Vape, we take a look at what this means for your business and the vaping industry as a whole.
What Does This Mean For My Business?
The Tobacco Control Act of 2009 prevents the FDA from eliminating nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products, but gives them the ability to reduce nicotine significantly. Vaping360’s Jim McDonald points out that the concept of nicotine reduction has been around since 1994—over a decade before vaping even came to the United States. It is unknown what those non-addictive levels should be at the time of this writing. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb expressed interest in reducing nicotine in cigarettes, but he did not mention a specific benchmark in his 2017 speech. Gottlieb stated that the FDA needs to reframe the shared objectives around the need to rethink nicotine.
The news of the Biden administration’s wish to adopt Gottlieb’s plan to reduce nicotine in cigarettes may be a compromise between vaping advocates and anti-tobacco activists as mentioned before, potentially creating a pathway towards the use of alternative nicotine products. Gottlieb stated that this was his intention in 2017. “Looking at ways to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes so that they are minimally or non-addictive, while not altering the nicotine content of noncombustible products such as e-cigarettes, is a cornerstone of our new and more comprehensive approach to effective tobacco regulation,” he said at the time.
What This Means For Vapers
The switch to vaping has actually reduced nicotine use—eJuices.co’s own data has shown that vapers that purchased products with higher levels of nicotine subsequently purchased products with lower levels of nicotine over time. However, there are plenty of individuals who may prefer a higher nicotine content while vaping. Vaping is a personal journey for all, and the lowering of nicotine use should be the vaper’s own decision rather than one left up to regulation or legislation.
It is very likely that Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has advocated for stringent regulations on vape, will adopt a plan to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and possibly even tobacco products. We will keep you updated on any other news regarding the Biden administration’s actions on vape. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact your eJuices.co account manager or sales representative. The eJuices.co team is dedicated to helping your business succeed as well as informing you of the latest developments in the vaping industry.