Conservatives bash FDA for ‘regulatory panic’ on e-cigarettes

By Laurie McGinley February 4 at 12:01 AM

A coalition of conservative and libertarian groups is demanding President Trump “pump the brakes” on the administration’s crackdown on e-cigarettes, arguing the anti-vaping efforts will hurt “an innovative industry that is helping American smokers quit.”

The letter, sent to the White House on Monday, criticized the Food and Drug Administration — and specifically its commissioner, Scott Gottlieb — for waging an “aggressive regulatory assault” on e-cigarettes. The signers include Americans for Tax Reform, ALEC Action, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Goldwater Institute.

The groups acknowledged concern about a sharp increase in youth use of such products, but said Gottlieb’s reaction has amounted to “regulatory panic and significant government overreach.” It said FDA’s plans to curb youth vaping would hurt adults and should be subjected to cost-benefit analyses.

“Private sector initiative and sound public policy should not be held hostage by prohibitionist impulses,” the letter said.

But Gottlieb shows no sign of backing down. In an interview Sunday, he said that while the FDA supports the role of e-cigarettes in helping adults quit smoking, “it’s now clear that widespread and sometimes reckless marketing of these products has come at the expense of addicting a new generation of kids on tobacco.”

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