Congress Democrats propose a ludicrously excessive tax on vapers and other consumers of smoke-free nicotine products. A must-listen podcast with harm reduction giants Ethan Nadelmann and Clive Bates. CASAA board members on Grimm Green show. The latest review of vaping by the Cochrane Review. Officials in Minnesota county rethink ban on flavors and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // National Nicotine Tax
A bill to fund President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan includes outrageously excessive nicotine tax taxes, increasing the costs of low risk products helping people quit smoking and going back on his promise to not raise taxes on lower income people.
Over 50M adults use tobacco/nicotine products, many of whom are from marginalized communities. A federal nicotine tax would break @POTUS's promise to not increase taxes, and punish already struggling communities – including those who have quit smoking using reduced-harm products. pic.twitter.com/l55LGp7LDa
— Danielle Jones (@DanielleTHR) September 16, 2021
"What does CASAA do?"
THIS. This is what CASAA does.
And I don't mean just the small, admin part of CASAA that issues official statements & creates advocacy tools like this Call to Action, but the biggest, MOST IMPORTANT part of CASAA–THE MEMBERS TAKING ACTION! #YouAreCASAA https://t.co/ltA83lrzvx— Kristin Noll-Marsh (@Noll_Marsh) September 16, 2021
TAKE ACTION: Stop an Excessive Federal Tax on Safer Nicotine Products
THIS MORE YOU KNOW // Ethan Nadelmann and Clive Bates
Two giants in the harm reduction world dissect the irrational, illogical and ultimately, harmful war on vaping on Ethan’s Psychoactive podcast. A “must listen!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
https://twitter.com/Clive_Bates/status/1436221886086668292
LISTEN ON APPLE: Clive Bates on the E-Cigarette Revolution
LISTEN ON GOOGLE: Clive Bates on the E-Cigarette Revolution
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Clive Bates on the E-Cigarette Revolution
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // The Truth About Snus
Most people wrongly believe all tobacco use–even Swedish snus–is as deadly as smoking. Tobacco control expert David Sweanor says that is because the attacks on smoke-free tobacco “have long been moralistic, irrational, and decidedly counterproductive.”
READ MORE: David Sweanor: Swedish Match deserves as much credit as Volvo for saving lives
IN THE NEWS // Exposing Anti-Vaping Bias in the Media
We applaud Detroit Metro Times editor-in-chief Lee DeVito for calling out the New York Times for its bad reporting on vaping! We hope he’ll also look into why anti-vaping groups choose to focus on the misleading “current use” stat vs “daily use.”
Ellen, the fact that you incorrectly link deaths due to counterfeited THC vapes to Juul takes away credibility from the other potentially valid claims that you make in the NYTimes op-ed. Surprising since the CDC study that you link to explicitly shows they are not related.
— Ramon (@redamon8) September 16, 2021
READ MORE: The NYT still doesn’t understand the difference between vaping black-market weed and regular e-cigs
IN THE NEWS // FDA
Wondering what the heck exactly is happening with the PMTA rejections? Learn the facts, what it all means (and what may or may not happen next) from this article written by CASAA director Jim McDonald for Vaping360.
“It is absolutely absurd that the same agency that found time to ban over 6 million vaping products manufactured by small businesses is now indicating they need more time to review products with massive market shares." https://t.co/shDlj9a5OK
— Freedom of Choice (@LanceChurchill) September 9, 2021
READ MORE: Vaping360 – PMTA Decision Day: FDA Leaves Vape Industry Twisting in the Wind
CASAA IN ACTION // Answering Questions on the Grimm Green Show
Catch not one…not two…but three CASAA board members — CASAA president Danielle Jones, and directors Jim McDonald and Matt Culley — answering questions and discussing the proposed federal nicotine tax on vaping advocate Grimm Green’s show!
RESEARCH // Anti-Vaping Bias in Research?
GSU News asks if vaping is safer than smoking, but the research itself seems focused only on “vaping harm.” As very few non-smokers vape, hopefully co-investigator Roby Greenwald will also compare exposures to cigarette smoke and acknowledge harm reduction potential.
Are e-cigarettes a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products? Check out the research initiative by Georgia State's School of Public Health on the harmful effects of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), known as "vaping" and e-cigarettes: https://t.co/IwotXqSqtt pic.twitter.com/aDjyNGOc8W
— Georgia State News (@gsu_news) September 15, 2021
RESEARCH // Cochrane Review of Vaping Updated
“Systematic reviews carried out by Cochrane Collaboration (an international network of researchers belonging to this independent, not-for-profit organization) are recognized worldwide as the highest standard in evidence-based healthcare.”
The most recent Cochrane Review–of 61 completed studies, representing 16,759 participants–once again finds that there is “moderate‐certainty evidence that ECs with nicotine increase quit rates compared to NRT” and “did not detect evidence of harm.”
There's nothing in the law that would prevent the FDA from relying on the same kind of evidence that persuaded Cochrane that e-cigarettes are a useful aid to smoking cessation. The agency's absurd standard that led to approving 0 products was a choice. (A very bad one!) https://t.co/oyTgC3x67D
— Jacob Grier (@jacobgrier) September 14, 2021
READ MORE: Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
ADVOCACY // Fighting the US Nicotine Tax
The fact that some Democrats are skittish about the tax should encourage vapers to pour on the opposition, messaging representatives and senators (through the [CASAA] call to action) and calling their offices.
It’s crucial that large numbers of vapers take action immediately to object to the nicotine tax, because once it’s locked into the final tax and spending bill, few if any Democrats will vote against the bill. Since Democrats have the ability to pass the bill with no Republican support, the tax proposal must be stopped before the bill’s final language is settled.
” ~Jim McDonald, CASAA Director
READ MORE: Nicotine Tax: Vapers Apply Pressure & Some Democrats Have Doubts
UPDATE // Mille Lacs County, Minnesota
County officials may actually listen to their constituents and not ban low risk, flavored nicotine and tobacco alternatives to smoking. The board is expected to vote on the measure at the next regular board meeting.
"Despite many obstacles remaining, there is a gathering consensus that drug criminalization is inherently wrong," writes Art Way. "But in one major area of drug policy, we see the opposite direction of travel."https://t.co/Q1MNmqcgVf
— Filter | harm reduction journalism (@Filtermag_org) September 15, 2021
READ MORE: Flavored tobacco products likely to remain in Mille Lacs County
TAKE ACTION // CASAA State Facebook Groups
Have you joined your CASAA State Facebook group yet? Check it out now! Click the link below, click on your state on the map, then click the “Join Now” button to go to your state’s group page. It’s as easy as that to stay updated on local happenings, meet local advocates and never miss a Call to Action in your state!
Don’t forget to also follow our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CASAAmedia
FIND YOUR GROUP: CASAA State Locator
CASAA MEDIA // Podcast
Catch up on past tobacco harm reduction news with Alex and Logan on the CASAA podcasts on SoundCloud every Monday and now live on YouTube and Facebook every Saturday at 3:30 PM.