Red State vs Blue State over the E-cigarette Regulation

Recently, two states, Montana and Florida have taken opposing approaches to vaping regulation. In Montana, the House of Representatives passed the second reading of a bill that "separates the regulation of e-cigarettes from cigarettes" by a vote of 57-42.

Meanwhile, in Florida, a bill to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Montana's bill supporter, Republican Rep. Ron Marshall, argues that e-cigarettes should be regulated separately from cigarettes. "Just like marijuana and alcohol are regulated separately," he said. Interestingly, according to local media DailyMontanan, the congressman's wife is the owner of a local e-cigarette company, Freedom Vapes.

On the other hand, Florida's bill belongs to the Democrats. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick believes (flavored) disposable e-cigarettes threaten public health, especially young people. Previously, the FDA issued guidance on the ban on flavors of pod-changing e-cigarettes. However, this loophole can no longer be ignored due to the rapid growth of disposable e-cigarettes. Sheila's proposed bill aims to ban all disposable e-cigarettes to protect Florida people from the potential health risks associated with their use.

Red and Blue Divergence Further Solidified

The two bills highlight the debate between red and blue politicians over the regulation of e-cigarettes. Some see it as a harm reduction tool, and others see it as a public health threat.

The outcome remains to be seen, but the differences between the bills of Montana and Florida illustrate the complexity and controversy of e-cigarette regulation. Regardless of the outcome, this topic will continue to be the focus of public health discussions for years to come.

In the article "Vitality in the Cracks - The U.S. E-cigarette Regulatory Situation under Bipartisan Competition," 2Firsts found that there is a subtle connection between e-cigarette regulation and the opposition between red and blue states in the United States, namely:

Target State Attribute: Red State (Republican) vs Blue State (Democrat)

E-cigarette regulatory attitude: moderate vs strict

Based on these two bills, Montana (MT) is a deep red state, and Florida (FL) is a neutral swing state. However, Broward County (Democratic County), located in Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick's district, has been banned from using E-cigarettes in public facilities.

2Firsts suggested that if you want to understand the trend of e-cigarette regulatory policies in each state in the United States, you can start with the local color trend. For example, if it is a red state, e-cigarettes will not be strictly regulated in the next few years; otherwise, the regulation will be stricter.