The FDA’s Final Rule is on the desk of OMB. This is a critical step before the Final Rule is published in the Federal Registry. The industry’s last opportunity to voice their views with a regulatory agency. Our goal should ideally be that OMB rejects the FDA’s Final rule but that’s unlikely to happen. Vape shop owners, manufacturers, trade groups, and distributors have a unique opportunity to offer well crafted suggestion which could significantly modify the final rule with provisions that are less draconian than what has been proposed and I documented in this post.

The first step is to listen to the following podcast which features FDA/Ecig Attorney Azim Chowdhury and long time advocate Bill Godshall from Smoke Free Pennsylvania. This podcast contains lots of details and strategy’s to use in your meeting.

Edited: Here is a detailed video which advocates that vapers like myself and my readers should also meet with OMB and tell our story. I call this a grass routes approach:

Next, Vape shop owners, manufacturers, trade groups, and distributors should schedule a meeting by contacting:

Email: [email protected] or call 202-395-6880Source

This action is time sensitive since normally the OMB will issue the Final rule around 1/15/16 or even sooner. They can also choose to extend their review. They will probably cap the number of 30 minute meetings they will have at a certain point. All of this means YOU need to act today. Consumers like myself and most of my readers should spread the word.

(Edited on 11/7/15) I’m not very optimistic with respect to actions by OMB to modify the FDA’s final rule in a manner and fashion which helps vapers. I would be very surprised if the final rule contains any significant and helpful changes. However, we should still try like Hell. OMB may make a few small and insignificant changes to the FDA’s final rule so they portray themselves as actually trying to help the vaping industry. While I could certainly be wrong (I hope I am), it’s important to me that you draw your own conclusions so here are a few links/documents to study, courtesy of the ECF thread:

Oversight of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs | Testimony

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/regulation/2013/6/regulation-v36n2-4.pdf

OIRA Watch

Documents Show OMB Weakened FDA’s Food Safety Rules