SFATA to Talk Regulations at Day on the Hill Event

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Elected officials on Capitol Hill will hear from another voice on the regulation of electronic cigarettes.

The Smoke-Free Alternative Trade Association (SFATA) is meeting in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 for its first "Day on the Hill" event. During the visit, the association's members will have the opportunity to engage in small group meetings with senior and staff legislators to discuss the e-cigarette industry's "unique legislative needs and the vital role it plays in the U.S. economy."

SFATA's event will begin with a legislative and regulatory meeting on Nov. 4. The meeting, hosted by Venable LLP, a corporate and business law firm with offices in Maryland, California, New York, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The meeting will feature a review of different types of state bills and their potential to negatively impact e-cigarette access and innovation, including short-term and long-term consequences, and understanding how to prioritize action regarding these bills.

The association's members will also get an overview of the Food and Drug Administration's substantial equivalency (SE) pathway and modified risk tobacco products (MRTP) classifications. This session will include a status report on SE filings to date, and the MRTP designation in United Kingdom and how it differs from the United States, according to SFATA's agenda.

The two-day event will conclude on Nov. 5 with SFATA members meeting with their respective state and district representatives to discuss their concerns about issues directly affecting them in their states and the impact of impending regulation.

SFATA is a Miami-based association that represents the "smoke-free" industry, including distributors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers of personal electronic vaporizing units such as electronic cigarettes and the liquid solutions they contain. The association formed in March 2012.