EUGENE, Ore. – U.S. senators, including Jeff Merkley of Oregon, are calling on the FDA to change the regulation of electronic cigarettes.
By phone from Washington, D.C., Merkley told KVAL News he wants three things by April 25:
- Childproof liquid nicotine containers
- Restrictions on selling nicotine in flavors that appeal to children
- Restrictions on advertising e-cig products that appeal to children
But Merkley said the FDA isn’t moving fast enough on these requests.
“They have just failed to act,” Oregon’s junior senator said.
“What big tobacco knows is that people rarely become addicted to tobacco after the age of 21, so they are trying to create a whole new generation of addicts by targeting our children,” Merkley said.
But Urban Vapors manager Mark Brauer insists vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking.
“I think it’s a big threat – because it’s such a rapidly growing industry – to big tobacco,” he said.
Brauer smoked a pack a day for 13 years. He said vaping helped him quit.
“My lungs have cleared out, I’m a cyclist, i can ride a lot further, I have a ton more energy. My appetite returned,” he said.
Brauer largely supports Senator Merkley’s restrictions…
“I support childproof seals,” he said. “You wouldn’t leave an open bottle of liquor around. Why would you leave an open bottle of e-juice around for an animal or a child to get into?”
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