As you may have heard, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb decided to issue a last-minute, big government FDA policy on e-cigarettes and other vaporized products before he left office.
This new policy states that certain e-cigarette flavors can only be sold in stores that don’t allow minors. This change is an attempt to curb the recent increase in teen smoking.
While the goal is noble, the new policies won’t be effective and are clearly an unnecessary overreach by the federal government.
Since studies have shown teenagers more often purchase their e-cigarettes at vape shops and tobacco stores, it is safe to assume that the enforcement mechanisms at those locations are lacking- but those are the types of stores that are exempt from the FDA’s burdensome policy. Meanwhile, convenience and grocery stores will be barred from selling these products.
The federal government shouldn’t chase business away from one type of store to send them to another, based on the desire to take action, any action, no matter the effectiveness.
You cannot sustain free market capitalism when the government is picking winners and losers. That’s not capitalism, its corporatism. The more government regulations, the more freedom is lost, and this new FDA policy is clearly unelected bureaucrats taking freedom away from Americans.
Before the Senate confirms Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless as the permanent FDA head, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should get a commitment from him that he will continue the Trump Administration’s successful deregulation campaign, not add new burdensome policies.
As Ron Paul has said, “Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks."
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