Upcoming studies on vaping flavors. 2023 E-cigarette Summit. Where’s the journalistic integrity? Daily Mail goes full potato. Hawai’i makes quitting smoking more expensive. Former FDA scientist argues for flavors. Australia triples down on prohibition. WHO is really lying? Calls to Action and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // LOUISIANA VAPE TAX!
URGENT!! HB 635 originally would have taxed e-liquid at 5c/mL, which is bad enough, but an amendment has been introduced raising it to 30c/mL.
The HEARING is scheduled for this Tuesday, MAY 9th!
TAKE ACTION: Louisiana: Stop a Vape Tax!
CALL TO ACTION // Vermont Flavor Ban
S.18 would ban the sale of any flavored tobacco or nicotine product regardless of FDA authorization, including products that are allowed to be marketed as less harmful than cigarettes!
S18 has passed the Senate and is moving to hearings in the House.
READ MORE: Vermont – Fight a Flavor ban!
CALL TO ACTION // Louisiana Flavor Ban
HB 179, which bans vapor products in flavors other than “tobacco” and does NOT exempt products authorized by FDA, was passed by the Judiciary Committee and is expected to head to a floor vote in the House!
READ MORE: Louisiana – Stop a Flavor Ban!
RESEARCH // Upcoming Vaping Studies
Two interesting vaping studies are in the development stages at the Medical University of South Carolina: one to determine if non-tobacco flavors help more people successfully switch to vaping, and the other to see how menthol bans affect smoking rates and switching to vaping.
“The FDA is currently making regulatory decisions about e-cigarette flavors with incomplete scientific data. Smokers also prefer flavored e-cigarettes, and while there are a few survey studies suggesting that flavored e-cigarettes may be more helpful for switching to vaping, these studies are not rigorous enough for the FDA to base its regulatory decisions on. Our study will be the first to provide the FDA with definitive information as to the benefit, if any, of e-cigarette flavors to adult smokers.” ~ Theodore Wagener, Ph.D., director of the Center for Tobacco Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
TOBACCO CONTROL // Lies Have Consequences
Researchers “estimated that 450,000 life years will be lost” as a result of fewer people switching from smoking to vaping due to the information shock surrounding EVALI (thanks largely to the CDC conflating illicit THC vapes with nicotine vapes.)
🧵Congress has held CDC accountable for its COVID miscommunications, but only a few months before, CDC made another huge error in public health comms that it has failed to correct and hasn't been held accountable for. It was called EVALI. https://t.co/0SyVikt7I8
— Guy Bentley (@gbentley1) May 1, 2023
READ MORE: Congress must hold CDC accountable for its vaping missteps
TOBACCO CONTROL // WHO is Really Lying?
“The tobacco industry continues to amplify misinformation in the media…”
And the World Health Organization “continues to amplify misinformation in the media” about low risk tobacco and nicotine products, HARMING public health by urging countries to NOT work with the tobacco industry to develop and promote LIFE-SAVING tobacco harm reduction products.
READ MORE: WHO and tobacco control partners urge countries not to partner or work with the tobacco industry
CASAA IN ACTION // 2023 U.S. E-cigarette Summit
On May 16th, CASAA CEO Alex Clark will be among the many Tobacco Harm Reduction advocates, scientists, public health leaders and members of tobacco control groups speaking at the E-cigarette Summit in Washington DC. Register soon — the venue is nearing full capacity!
READ MORE: 2023 US E-cigarette Summit
IN THE MEDIA // Ignoring the Obvious
So much for journalistic integrity. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single article – among the dozens about this news – that broached the topic of tobacco harm reduction or asked if the shift to very low risk vaping products could potentially be saving millions of adult lives.
As CASAA director Jim McDonald wrote for Vaping360: “Neither CNN nor AP suggested that the growth in adult vaping prevalence had anything positive to do with the decline in cigarette smoking. Far from it. Vaping was presented as a related risk.”
READ MORE: Adult Smoking Rate Drops Again as Vaping Climbs
IN THE MEDIA // Daily Mail Goes Full Potato
We wouldn’t be the least surprised if the next headline from the Daily Mail about vaping was:
“Vaping is an insidious plot by space aliens to destroy the human race!”
This article is as ridiculous as that (so we aren’t going to give them any clicks by sharing the link.)
REGULATION // Hawai’i Makes It More Expensive to Quit Smoking
Hawai’i just passed a tax relief package to “assist middle and lower-income families,” yet lawmakers also slapped a 70% wholesale tax on affordable, low risk vapor products that could not only help those SAME PEOPLE save money, but potentially save their LIVES.
READ MORE: Hawaii: Legislature Passes 70% Vape Tax
COMMENTARY // Former FDA Scientist Argues For Vape Flavors
Dr. Matthew Holman, who recently resigned from FDA Center for Tobacco Product as chief of the office of science, writes:
“Nicotine products authorized by the FDA have undergone an intensive scientific review. Banning these products simply ignores the robust science that is available.
The fact is that flavors appeal to adults. Millions of adults around the world have stopped smoking by switching to flavored innovative smoke-free products.”
READ MORE: Commentary: Let’s not leave adult smokers without better options
AROUND THE WORLD // Australia Triples Down on Prohibition
Ignoring the science and despite the fact nearly 2.1 million Australian adults still smoke, Australia doubles and triples down on keeping deadly cigarettes more affordable and far more accessible than very low risk vaping products.
The proposed regulations are a disaster for Aussie #vapers, smokers, public health and the #vape industry
Unless you write to your federal and state MPs, legal #vaping may be eliminated in AU
via @vapingpost_fr @legionvapes @TheVapingBogan
Read here➡️ https://t.co/s0aROxGQKp pic.twitter.com/MvWljlswRa
— Dr Colin Mendelsohn (@ColinMendelsohn) May 5, 2023
READ MORE: Australia Amps Up Vape Ban, Vowing to “Stamp It Out”
CASAA TESTIMONIAL PROJECT
Anecdote #13,519:
Tom’s story is an example of why it’s so important that safer alternatives are NOT subjected to taxes to create “parity” with deadly cigarettes. He may never have switched if vaping hadn’t been cheaper than smoking!
Share YOUR story at the link below!
Submit Your Testimonial: CASAA Testimonial Project
CASAA MEDIA // Spotify
CASAA’s podcast is on Spotify! Please give us a follow here:
CASAA IN ACTION // Twitter Spaces
The week we recap the Reagan-Udall sessions with Amanda Wheeler, Tim Andrews and CASAA CEO Alex Clark, who all presented to the panel about FDA’s issues regulating reduced-harm products. What grade would you give FDA? Also available on CASAA’s Spotify channel (above.)
— CASAA (@CASAAmedia) October 26, 2022
CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA Live
CASAA Live is on alternating Saturdays at 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT/2:30 PM MT/1:30 PM PT on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter!
If you missed the last CASAA Live episode you can catch up NOW before the next show!
On this past week’s episode, our guest is Jacob Grier, journalist and author of The New Prohibition: The Dangerous Politics of Tobacco Control. We discuss his new book, the history of tobacco control, and how the new tobacco prohibition trends are impacting vaping, tobacco harm reduction, public health and personal freedoms.
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 STORE // Apparel and More
Show your support by shopping our store! Our president (and brilliant website/swag designer) Danielle has added some awesome new designs to CASAA’s apparel shop!
VISIT: CASAA Apparel and Swag Store
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.
SoundCloud: