Para safe mga bagets: Batocabe calls for regulation of ‘vaping’ devices

AKO-Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe is batting for the regulation of the so-called “vaping” devices that are currently a hit with millennials.

To achieve this, Batocabe penned and filed House Bill No. 3330 or the Vaporized Nicotine Product Regulation Act of 2016.

“If passed into law, manufacturers of vaporized nicotine products will be required to register their products with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for quality control,” he said.

The bill also mandates the creation of a new product category with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove it from the ambit of the ‘health-related devices’ category, taking away the rigidity of medicine licensing but with stricter standards than consumer product regulation.

Batocabe justified his measure by saying that these vaping products aren’t always safer than conventional smoking of cigarettes.

“These products still carry risk with them, as the technology used may still be defective and the substance used still contains nicotine,” the politiko noted.

“As it stands, we do not have any concrete proof or studies to conclusively say these e-cigarettes are neither hazardous or safe, so we can benefit from a thorough assessment by the FDA”, said Batocabe.

“There is some worry that these are casually sold in malls and shops without the requisite and proper government regulation,” he underscored.