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casaa cta flavor ban

Tempe, AZ – [Concluded – See 2023 Call to Action] Stop a Flavor Ban!

current status

Bill
Introduced

Passed
Committee

Passed
Full COuncil

Enacted

[11/18/21] – Work Session Video, Item 4.A.2.

  • Staff directed to conduct further research on the proposal.

11/17/21 – Work Study Session, 4:15PM – Council expected to direct staff to draft an ordinance banning the sale of flavored nicotine and tobacco products, including synthetic nicotine. (Memorandum)

The Tempe City Council is moving forward with the process of imposing a ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products (including synthetic nicotine). Fortunately, this means that staff are being directed to reseach the proposal further and come back to the council with their findings.

It is likely that this issue, including a draft bill, will come back to the City Council in early 2022.

This is the beginning of the process for a flavor ban in Tempe, so now is a great time to reach out to your city council members and educate them about why flavors are important to helping people switch away from combustible tobacco products.

Member

Email

Phone

Corey D Woods, Mayor

Corey_Woods@tempe.gov

480-350-8793

Assistant: Brianne Fisher

brianne_fisher@tempe.gov

480-350-8959

Randy Keating, Vice Mayor

randy_keating@tempe.gov

480-350-8798

Assistant: Alex Chin

alex_chin@tempe.gov

480-350-8545

Jennifer Adams, Councilmember

jennifer_adams@tempe.gov

480-350-8835

Assistant: Alex Chin

  

Robin Arredondo-Savage, Councilmember

robin_arredondo-savage@tempe.gov

480-350-8792

Assistant: Tim Gomez

timothy_gomez@tempe.gov

480-350-8816

Doreen Garlid, Councilmember

Doreen_Garlid@tempe.gov

480-350-8796

Assistant: Kristin Gwinn

kristin_gwinn@tempe.gov

480-350-8916

Lauren Kuby, Councilmember

lauren_kuby@tempe.gov

480-350-8507

Assistant: Kristin Gwinn

kristin_gwinn@tempe.gov

480-350-8916

Joel Navarro, Councilmember

joel_navarro@tempe.gov

480-350-8795

Assistant: Tim Gomez

timothy_gomez@tempe.gov

480-350-8816

Contact all Council Members:

– councilcommunicator@tempe.gov


Comma delimited email list:

– Corey_Woods@tempe.gov, brianne_fisher@tempe.gov, randy_keating@tempe.gov, alex_chin@tempe.gov, jennifer_adams@tempe.gov, robin_arredondo-savage@tempe.gov, Doreen_Garlid@tempe.gov, lauren_kuby@tempe.gov, kristin_gwinn@tempe.gov, joel_navarro@tempe.gov, timothy_gomez@tempe.gov

 

Personalized messages and phone calls make a greater impression on officials, so be sure to tell your own story about switching to vaping or other flavored, smoke-free nicotine products.

  • Urge your council member to reject the flavor ban ordinance, which would restrict your ability to use low-risk alternatives to smoking.
  • Briefly, share your story about switching to vaping and what role that flavors play in helping you live smoke free.
  • Note any health changes you’ve experienced.
  • Briefly, discuss what losing access to a local supply of vapor products will mean for you (Will you shop out-of-state, in neighboring cities, or online? Will you make your own e-liquid at home or purchase products on an underground market?).
  • Be brief, be kind, and say thank you 🙂

For those new to vaping or just generally unfamiliar with federal regulations, the premarket tobacco application (or PMTA) deadline was September 9, 2020. This application is required to keep or bring new tobacco/nicotine products on the market. It is estimated that 95% to 98% of vapor manufacturers will not be able to afford this process and will not be capable of filing on time.

 

But 98% is not 100% (as the antis are fond of saying).

 

The FDA has already authorized some new tobacco products that are being sold in flavors other than tobacco (specifically mint, menthol, and wintergreen). In the weeks prior to the September deadline, the FDA accepted for review several applications for bottled e-liquid in flavors ranging from tobacco to cereal to fruit. Despite the rhetoric from certain members of congress and the incessant pro-drug war drum beat of tobacco prohibitionists, FDA is still capable of approving flavored smoke-free nicotine products for market. Moreover, FDA may even allow manufactures of these products to market them as safer than cigarettes, if they apply for a modified risk order.

 

Tempe’s flavor ban would undermine any decision by the FDA to allow low-risk, flavored nicotine products on the market after having met the “appropriate for the protection of public health” standard. Even without involving the FDA, flavor bans are being enacted without thorough consideration of the negative consequences. Sales data from Massachusetts and New York and a published study on San Francisco suggest that many people who were vaping prior to the flavor bans simply returned to smoking. While a flavor ban may be an inconvenience for teens trying to get their hands on nicotine, it is actively harming parents who are trying to quit smoking.

Work Session Agenda - 11/17/21

American Heart Assn. Model Ordinance

City Clerk

Directions for Virtual Participation

Take Action Now!

We strongly encourage our members to send personalized messages to council members. Please see the "City Council Contact Info" dropdown for individual email addresses and phone numbers.

You can also send one email to the full council at:
councilcommunicator@tempe.gov