Lindsey Fox https://www.flickr.com/photos/87735223@N02/25512202793

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first vaping device, Vuse Solo, as “appropriate for the protection of public health“. In their decision, the agency stated that “The authorized products’ aerosols are significantly less toxic than combusted cigarettes based on available data and noted that “the potential benefit to smokers who switch completely or significantly reduce their cigarette use, would outweigh the risk to youth.”

This decision, common-sense given the proven fact that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than traditional combustible cigarettes, is in line with the opinions of most major international health bodies and governments such as the United Kingdom, France, and Canada which run public health campaigns urging smokers to make the switch, and while it is disappointing that more products have not been authorized at this time, this nevertheless marks a welcome first step 

Regrettably, however, Congressional Democrats continue to deny the science, and seek to tax these products into oblivion. Under democrat plans, electronic cigarettes could be more taxed higher than traditional combustible cigarettes, which academic modeling has revealed would lead to an extra 2.75 million smokers in the US. 

It’s not abundantly clear that this proposal is not only a flagrant violation of President Biden’s pledge not to increase taxes on persons earning under $400,000, but that they also go directly against with the FDA says is appropriate for the protection health. Congressional democrats need to drop these proposals as quickly as possible and not penalize people for trying to quit smoking with exhorbitant new taxes. Millions of lives quite literally depend on it.