Article posted on Vaping360 - author: Jim McDonald - translator: The Vape Club
A new survey of vapers' intentions if the FDA actually succeeds in banning 99.9% of vape products.
Vapers won't listen to an unreasonable law
Vapers will turn to the black market if the bill to regulate e-cigarette products passes the courts and efforts to change it through Congress fail, according to a new survey by the Center for Substance Use Research (CSUR).
Glasgow, a Scottish organization, surveyed 9,040 American vapers. 8,451 participants were former smokers who currently vaped, 282 were current vapers and 307 were vapers who had never smoked. According to CSUR, participants were asked what they would do if the products they currently used were removed from the market due to FDA regulations.
About 75 percent of respondents said they would stock up on those products before the ban went into effect. The same percentage said they would buy them from unlicensed sources, 66 percent said they would buy them from foreign brands, and 65 percent said they would make their own essential oils . Less than 20 percent of respondents said they would use FDA-approved products.
FDA ban will force many vapers to turn to black market products
“Worryingly, 15 percent of former smokers said they would likely go back to smoking cigarettes if their preferred e-cigarette product was no longer available. Additionally, 33 percent of both smokers and vapers said they would smoke more cigarettes, and 10 percent of non-smokers who vape said they would switch to smoking, if they were forced to stop buying their preferred e-cigarette product.”
“This study demonstrates a significant disconnect between the FDA’s intentions and the views of vaping users affected by the proposed regulations,” said Dr. Christopher Russell, lead author of the study. “The goals of the proposed regulations are to raise quality standards for e-cigarette manufacturing, improve labeling accuracy, ensure e-cigarette safety, and reduce exposure to e-cigarettes among minors. However, if consumers turn to the black market for their preferred products once the regulations are enacted, the positive effects of the regulations will be diminished, and consumers will suffer significant harm.” It is of critical importance that the FDA and the drafters recognize the potential risks that, after August 8, the e-cigarette users who participated in the survey may represent millions of others who act as they intend to continue using vape products that have been removed from the legal market by the FDA's proposed rule.”
- Excerpt from CSUR report -
“The FDA clearly needs to review the impact of these bills to see if there are any problems, and if there are, they should consider changing the bill,” Dr. Russell said. “I’m sure no one would be so foolish as to force a large portion of the vaping population to resort to black market products.”
Need motivation?
Dr. Russell of CSUR has done a few surveys on vapers. We wrote about his American Vaper Survey back in May. He also has a YouTube channel that might inspire you. Vapers Helping Smokers Quit focuses on smokers telling the camera how they quit with e-cigarettes. If you’re feeling discouraged, come check it out, and remember why we care so much about protecting the future of vaping.
