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CASAA Newsletter – April 2018

CASAA reported in March (here) that the FDA has published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding flavored tobacco and vapor products. The purpose of an ANPRM is to gather information about a topic from many different stakeholders. Responses are then used to develop a proposed rule, which will have its own comment and review period.

As part of the effort to provide as much relevant information as possible to the FDA regarding the role that flavors play in consumers’ decisions to use smoke-free tobacco and vapor products, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos has developed a survey. This survey will provide valuable information regarding patterns of use and help address some of the questions posed by FDA in the ANPRM.

Please take 10 – 15 minutes today to take this important survey.*

Click Here to Take The Survey!

(As you complete the survey questions, make sure you scroll all the way down before advancing to the next page.)

*Please note: This survey is not being conducted by CASAA. If you have any issues, questions or complaints about the survey, please do not contact CASAA. Contact information for the researchers is listed at the bottom of the first page of the survey.

Once you’ve taken the survey, come back and help spread the word. It is important that this effort includes a large sample of vapor consumers–not just the dedicated thousands who are involved with CASAA.

Here are some materials you can share on social media and as flyers around town.

  • Download this image to share on social media (click here)
  • Download and print this flyer for shops and public bulletin boards (click here)

In addition to participating in Dr. Farsalinos’s survey, please also take some time to share your personal experience on Regulations .gov. (You may submit as many comments as you wish.)

Points to think about and include in your comments:

  • Why you decided to try a smoke-free product.
  • What role did the flavor play in your motivation to try?
  • What flavors do you use regularly and how often do you switch between flavors?
  • How long have you been smoke-free? (If you are still smoking, how much have you reduced?)
  • Did you use cigarettes and smoke-free products for a period of time (“dual use”) before completely switching to a smoke-free product?

At this time, CASAA is reviewing the ANPRM on flavors in order to develop specific guidance for consumer comments.

The ANPRM on flavors is another opportunity for consumers to engage the FDA, lawmakers, and the media regarding the benefits of switching to smoke-free products like e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. CASAA believes that consumer testimonials are powerful and important, and we urge our members to participate.

Thanks for reading and for your participation!


Alex Clark
CEO, CASAA


 

NEWS

POLICY


Congress votes to fund scared-straight campaign from CDC, but leaves smokers and vapers out in the cold.

3 weeks ago

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (“the omnibus budget bill”) has been nearly six months in the making. And when all of the pieces were laid together–all 2200+ pages of it–the bill made its way through Congress and onto President Trump’s desk in just two days. The bill mentions “Food and Drug Administration” 12 times and “tobacco” 23 times, but …

Read More »


How important are flavors to you? FDA wants to know.

3 weeks ago

03.21.18 – For anyone following FDA tobacco regulations, the past week has been a busy one. On March 15th, the agency released its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) for regulating the nicotine content in cigarettes. Today, the FDA is publishing another ANPRM regarding standards for flavored vapor and tobacco products in the Federal Register. As the name suggests, an …

Read More »


CASAA


CASAA Announces 2018 Board Election Results

1 min ago

We are pleased to announce that CASAA’s Board of Directors recently elected Bruce Nye as President of the Board and Jennifer Berger-Coleman as Vice President of the Board. We are also excited to announce that Jim McDonald has joined our Board of Directors.   Bruce joined CASAA’s Board of Directors in 2015, and in 2017, he served as Vice President …

Read More »


RESEARCH


Tobacco Harm Reduction Expert Fact Checks UCSF “Gateway” study

20 mins ago

Dr. Brad Rodu, a renowned Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville who holds an endowed chair in tobacco harm reduction research, has called for the retraction of a Pediatrics article by University of California San Francisco’s Benjamin W. Chaffee, Shannon Lea Watkins, and Stanton A. Glantz. The article claims that “Among adolescent cigarette experimenters, using e-cigarettes was positively …

Read More »


ECigIntelligence User Survey 2018

2 weeks ago

In November of 2017, CASAA assisted ECigIntelligence in conducting a focused survey of vapers. The integrity of ECigIntelligence was verified, as was the purpose and scope of the survey, and the survey was circulated to our members via email.As a part of our diligence to our members, CASAA is publishing the relevant results to educate and advocate for our members. …

Read More »


EDUCATION


 

CALLS TO ACTION

RESEARCH


US Vapor Flavors Survey – FDA Flavors ANPRM

1 week ago

In March, the FDA published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding standards for flavored vapor products. An ANPRM is the beginning of the rule making process and serves as an opportunity for all stakeholders to provide feedback to the agency by way of comments and scientific studies.

As part of the effort to address some of the questions posed by the FDA in the ANPRM regarding flavored vapor products, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos has developed a survey. The data collected will provide valuable information about patterns of e-cigarette use with a focus on the role that flavors play.

Please take time today (approximately 20 minutes) to complete this survey.

Click Here to Take The Survey!


FDA



TOBACCO 21


Akron, OH – Stop Tobacco and Vapor 21!

9 hours ago

(Update – 04.12.18) The proposal to raise the tobacco and vapor purchase age to 21 remains on the city council agenda. As of the April 9th meeting, the proposal was included as part of a committee report. According to a local news report, city lawmakers remain concerned about the unintended consequences of raising the purchase age for all tobacco products. …

Read More »


CT – Stop Tobacco AND Vapor 21

8 hours ago

(Update – 04.12.18) SB 164, which would raise the minimum legal purchase age from 18 to 21 for ALL tobacco and vapor products, was voted out of the Committee on Public Health with a favorable recommendation. The vote was 22 – 4 in support of the bill. Currently, SB 164 is on the calendar for the full Senate where it …

Read More »


INDOOR BANS


FL – Stop an Anti-Vaping amendment in the state’s constitution!

3 days ago

Every 20 years, the state of Florida convenes a Constitutional Revision Commission (CRC) to consider possible amendments to the state’s constitution and put them to the voters to decide. In 1998, this process was used to pass an unpopular statewide anti-smoking law that prohibited smoking in workplaces. In 2018, much like 1998, a similar proposal would ban vaping in the …

Read More »


FLAVOR BANS



TAXES


VT – Help stop a tax on vaping!

4 days ago

(Update – 04.09.18) HB 922, which would impose a 46% wholesale tax on vapor products, has been scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 15 minutes after floor (1:00 PM) Senate Committee on Finance Room 6 115 State Street Montpelier, VT 05633   Please note: This is not a public hearing. Spoken testimony is being accepted by invitation …

Read More »


RI – Stop an outrageous 80% tax on vapor!

2 weeks ago

RHODE ISLAND VAPOR TAX Update – 03.26.18 (House Finance Committee Hearing) Last week’s meeting that was cancelled due to weather is rescheduled for Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Rise of the House (4:30 PM) Room 35 – State House   The committee will be hearing testimony regarding Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposal to impose an outrageous 80% wholesale tax on vapor products …

Read More »


NJ – Gov. Murphy is proposing a MASSIVE tax on vaping starting in FY 2019

3 weeks ago

On March 13th, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced his budget proposal for FY 2019. The governor’s first budget includes a new 75% wholesale tax on vapor products and a tax hike for smokeless tobacco raising it from 30% to 68% of wholesale. CASAA has been informed that the rates for these taxes come from bills in the House (A.1586) …

Read More »


ENDED CALLS TO ACTION


NY – Keep Vapor Taxes OUT of the State’s Budget! (ENDED)

2 weeks ago

(Update – 04.02.18) In typical down-to-the-wire fashion, the New York legislature passed a budget for FY 2019 last week. The budget does NOT include a new tax on vapor products! Special thanks are in order to everyone who took a moment to contact their officials urging them to remove the governor’s proposed tax on vaping. Also thanks to the NYSVA …

Read More »


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CASAA is 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization. While CASAA is a non-profit organization and pays no income taxes on the donations it receives, contributions or gifts to CASAA are not deductible by the donor as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.