That’s exactly what Congress is doing. The new tobacco bill will give the cigarettes the appearance of being safer by simple saying “FDA approved”:

The bill will place tobacco under the authority of the FDA. However, writing in the New York Times, Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health, worries that by persuading smokers that cigarettes are safer, they will encourage smokers to smoke more.

She also points out that the bill gives the FDA authority to reduce nicotine in cigarettes. As it is the smoking that does the damage and not the nicotine, and as smokers tend to draw more heavily when they smoke, this would only increase the damage done to smoker’s health.

The article also points out that the bill received heavy support from one tobacco company. Now why would a company champion more regulation on themselves, unless it could mean an increase in sales?

E-Cigarettes also receive a great bit of support in this article:

One of the new alternatives is the electronic cigarette. Despite highly publicised criticism of the electronic cigarette, some tobacco experts argue that it removes 99% or more of the risk of smoking traditional cigarettes.

In one interview with us David Sweanor, who has previously advised the WHO on tobacco control, argued that: “If there is anyone who believes cigarettes are no more hazardous than e-cigarettes I’d recommend a remedial course in basic sciences.”

Dr Joel Nitzkin, Chair of the Tobacco Control Task Force for the American Association of Public Health Physicians, agrees. In a letter to Senator Lautenburg, the doctor argued: “As best we can tell, on the basis of currently available research data, these products [including but not limited to electronic cigarettes] promise a risk of illness and death well under 1% of the risk posed by cigarettes.”

It has been almost two weeks since I went from smoking 2 packs a day to puffing on an e-cigarette, and I haven’t felt this good in years. Now the government wants to take that away from me. They hope I go back to smoking cigarettes or pay the pharmaceutical companies for their over prices, never worked cessation products.

(and please sign the petition to keep these on the market. Thank You)