On February 16th, 2017, Representatives Tom Cole (Republican), of Oklahoma, and Sanford Bishop (Democrat), of Georgia, introduced a new bill in the United States House of Representatives called the FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2017. The goal of this legislation is to revisit the FDA’s recent vape regulations and redefine vapor products as their own category, separate from traditional tobacco products.

If this bill were to pass, lawmakers would be forced to take the time to review how vaporizers work and to create more common sense regulations that better fit this new technology--subsequently supporting the Stop the Vape Ban movement.

If this bill were to pass, lawmakers would be forced to take the time to review how vaporizers work and to create more common sense regulations that better fit this new technology.

The bill is needed because in August 2016, new U.S. Food and Drug Administration deeming rules gave the government agency authority to severely limit the accessibility of vapor products.

These new rules essentially categorized vapor products similarly to traditional tobacco cigarettes and set off a chain of new regulations that would require vaporizer manufacturers to submit lengthy paperwork and spend millions of dollars on licensing before being allowed to continue selling their devices.

As coverage of Cole and Bishop’s new bill has been generally underwhelming and lackluster in the media, the Stop the Vape Ban coalition was formed to bring it to the attention of voters and other representatives across the nation.

Members of the coalition argue that they are in favor of regulations designed to keep vapers safer and keep vapor products out of the hands of children, however they note the nation cannot afford an FDA shutdown of all vapor products.

The vapor industry currently employs tens of thousands of individuals in the United States alone, many of whom have staked their futures on building local vape shops and becoming small business owners. Restrictive regulation of vaping products would negatively affect these entrepreneurs who have put in years of work, as well as negatively affecting the country’s economy as a whole.

Both Congressman Cole and Congressman Bishop are looking for ways to regulate vapor products more sensibly. They note that the FDA should not be in the business of keeping adults away from “tobacco alternatives” that are currently widely available.

The Stop the Vape Ban campaign is currently seeking volunteers and opportunities to educate the public about the benefits of vaping. They are also trying to reach out to non-smokers to ensure that they understand that vaping and smoking are not the same, and that vaping should remain legal.

They plan on taking their fight all the way to the FDA with support from local representatives like Congressman Cole and Congressman Bishop, who are crossing traditional political party lines to work together on this important issue.