Step one must be
capturing the attention of President Donald Trump so that our issues are, at the very least, registering on his legislative radar screen. created thousands of jobs, we have expanded the tax revenue base, and we have made an indelible mark on public health. Efforts being made on our behalf by Congressional Republicans such as Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Congressman Duncan Hunter of California must be coupled with the awesome power of the bully pulpit. Perhaps in Donald Trump’s case that metaphor will again be correctly applied. Assuming we are successful in getting the attention of the White House, our main objective should be both realistic and reasonable. An approach that meets those criteria would be to change the predicate date to August of 2018, which would grant all products currently on the market an exemption from being subjected to the arduous, expensive FDA application process. We know--as a general rule--that President Trump and Congressional Republicans have vowed to scale back draconian regulations that hinder the growth of small business. In fact, the “2-1 rule” has been adopted as the guiding philosophy of regulatory agencies. Essentially, any new regulation put on the books must be accompanied by eliminating two that are currently in place. By all fair accounts, the tidal wave of Obama big government bureaucracy is coming to a screeching halt. Make no mistake, however, that liberal Democrats will continue to obstruct our agenda with misinformation in their efforts to impose a nanny state model of regulatory control.
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The deeming regulations were never intended to provide us with fair or feasible pathways to safer vaping. To the contrary, they are the mechanism by which at least 90-percent of this industry will be destroyed. Even if a company is able to afford the costly PMTA application, there is no guarantee it will be approved. In all likelihood, based upon the current framework, most applications would in fact be denied. Consequently, the only option to preserve the solvency of vaping as we know it rests upon our ability to change the predicate date or scrap the deeming regulations entirely with the latter being a highly unlikely scenario. This movement to save vaping will require all of us to be onboard and active in a positive, serious fashion. In other words, rather than posting videos and selfies on social media accounts blowing clouds, perhaps we should literally suit up and show up to the offices of our legislators. The reality is--whether we like it or not--we are going to be taken substantially more seriously if we all cover the tattoos, lose the neckbeard, and remove the visible piercings. Our members of Congress and the president will listen to us as business professionals and advocates of public health, which is why we must act accordingly. We are the architects of our own destiny, and it is imperative that we do not squander a golden opportunity over the next several years to affect the kind of change that will cultivate a permanent place for vaping in this country. The means, motive, and situation now exists to fundamentally transform the deeming regulations. Get active, get involved in the right ways, and hold elected officials accountable so that our businesses can start winning again.
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