The ECA, or Electronic Cigarette Association is the first trade / lobbying group for the e-cig industry. Their goal is not only to be a trade group and introduce some industry wide standards and codes of conduct but also to be the main voice for the industry in lobbying and educating lawmakers, opinion leaders, the media and the public regarding the issues surrounding electronic cigarettes.

While they may have only a handful of companies in their membership at this time, they do have some people with clout and political lobbying experience behind them. Chief amongst them is their president, former Arizona Republican US Representative Matt Salmon, who, ironically, was instrumental in passing one of the country's first smoking bans and was named Congressman of the Year in 2000 by the American Cancer Society who now oppose the sale of Electronic Cigarettes.

September 8, 2010

Mr. Matt Salmon
President
Electronic Cigarette Association
1401 K Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005

Dear Mr. Salmon:

FDA today has taken enforcement action against five distributors of electronic cigarettes and related components, for practices which violate various provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). The warning letters issued today involve violations of good manufacturing practices, making unsubstantiated drug claims, and using the devices as delivery mechanisms for active pharmaceutical ingredients like rimonabant and tadalafil.