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EDIT: It turns out that the Reuter’s article which first broke this story was incorrect. The $270 million is being spent over 5 years on studies into a variety of topics including non-e-cig related ones. I am working to get more precise information now.

As reported by Reuters this week, it seems the FDA is investing quite the heap in finding out more about electronic cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is plunging some $270 million into 48 different studies looking into just about every aspect of the products. The focus is on building a foundation of knowledge that will allow the organization to design (and defend) appropriate regulation for the industry.

The studies are looking into anything that might matter for the purposes of regulation. This includes the impact of e-cig advertising on youth, whether availability of flavors will hook new users, how much of a health impact the products actually have, and whether they will actually work for tobacco cessation. Thus far at every point, more research has proven a boon to e-cigs more than a detriment. This could prove to be a very good thing in the long run.

Many are skeptical of the FDA’s motives however. There does appear to be a bias behind many of the studies that assume guilt before the data comes in. Some even seem tailored specifically to give the FDA data it can use to defend unnecessarily harsh regulations. The ones we know about seem to focus on ways to prove that e-cigs entice teens, addict users, and deal damage to the body — even if all these factors are true at several orders of magnitude below that of tobacco cigarettes.

Without seeing a full list of the commissioned studies, one wonders where this will go. While there is certainly a study determining whether flavors like butterscotch, chocolate, and Gummi Bear attract kids to e-cigs, there should be another that determines whether the existence of the same flavors provides more adults with the ability to kick traditional cigarettes — which thus far appears to be true.

You can read the report from Reuters right here.

Still, more research has always proven beneficial to this industry. What’s more, it sounds like the FDA only anticipates receiving the ability to regulate e-cigs this year. Actual regulation could be upwards of 4-5 years away if those arguing for e-cigs can convince the decision-makers that making the right decision with all the information is far more important than making whatever decision seems popular now.