a unique opportunity to advance public

health by revising the FDA's regulations

for electronic cigarettes. E-cigarettes

deliver nicotine, but don't burn tobacco,

as regular cigarettes do, so there isn't

any smoke – there are no chemicals that

cause lung cancer or other diseases.

While not a hundred percent safe,

e-cigarettes reduce harm to smokers by

about 95 percent. The problem is that the

FDA's regulatory regime is too expensive.

The cost of gaining approval will likely

cause 90% of the vaping industry to go

out of business, and the few that do

apply for FDA approval face unrealistic

and unnecessary demands for testing. The

FDA should delay certain filing

deadlines for companies by one to two

years, to give a new leadership

additional time to fully consider the

issues raised by the current rule. This

would allow products to remain on the

market, while the agency considers

alternative approaches like product

standards. E-cigarettes should be

regulated, but in a way that promotes

product innovation, quality, and ensures

smokers access to this much safer

alternative to cigarettes.

Full disclosure, Scott Gottlieb was my colleague at AEI.

To learn more about my take on

e-cigarettes, check the links in the

description below, and also let us know

what other topics you would like a AEI

scholars to cover in 60 seconds.