Daily Mail uses a highly dubious vaping story as click bait (again.) Three flavor bans fail to move forward. FDA pretends the recently rejected menthol Vuse products were popular with youth. Vaper points out ridiculousness of “vape shaming.” Researchers use same old anti-vaping trickery. 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 // Oregon Flavor Ban
HB 3090 has been scheduled for a HEARING before the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care on MARCH 21st at 5 PM.
TAKE ACTION NOW and then follow this CTA for more updates!
TAKE ACTION: Stop the Oregon Flavor Ban
CALL TO ACTION // Idaho Vape Tax
Lawmakers seemed to have quickly scheduled a PUBLIC HEARING for 8:30 AM on March 17th (House Revenue and Taxation Committee) to prevent any public opposition to a possible 40% tax on vapor products, but that won’t stop us!
TAKE ACTION NOW and follow this CTA for updates!
TAKE ACTION: Idaho – Stop a Vape Tax!
CALL TO ACTION // New York Flavor Ban
Governor Kathy Hochuk is proposing to ban flavors even for the few, far safer tobacco and nicotine alternatives to smoking that are still legally available for sale in NY. This isn’t just a ban on menthol cigarettes! She’s also proposing another tax hike!
TAKE ACTION: New York – Stop a Flavor Ban!
CALL TO ACTION // Minnesota Flavor Ban
SF2123 was ultimately passed and referred to the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Committee. The House companion bill, HF 2177 (Rep. Ethan Cha, DFL-Woodbury) has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.
TAKE ACTION: Minnesota – Stop a Flavor Ban!
CALL TO ACTION // Nebraska Vapor Tax
LB 584, a 5c/mL tax on e-liquid scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, was pulled from the agenda, potentially for changes that may include a 20% wholesale tax which could mean a price increase from the original 5c/mL.
TAKE ACTION: Nebraska – Stop a Vapor Tax
CALL TO ACTION // Hawai’i Vape Tax
HB 537 would subject vapor products to the state’s 70% tobacco tax.
Hawai’ians are encouraged to TAKE ACTION NOW!
TAKE ACTION: Stop the Hawai’i Vape Tax
CALL TO ACTION // New Mexico Flavor Ban
HB 94 had a hearing in the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. If you live in New Mexico, please click the link below and TAKE ACTION NOW!
TAKE ACTION: Stop the New Mexico Flavor Ban
HEADS UP! // Illinois Public Vaping Ban
If you’re trying to reduce smoking harms, you don’t lie (ie. claiming vaping is a risk to bystanders) to take away important incentives for people who smoke to switch to far safer alternatives. Businesses should be able to choose!
READ MORE: Lawmaker Pushes to Ban Vaping Indoors
MARYLAND CALL TO ACTION // Flavor Ban Update
SB 259 would have required low risk, smoke-free alternatives to be flavored like “tobacco,” prohibiting even FDA-authorized flavors. A Finance Committee hearing was held on February 16, but it failed to be voted on before the crossover deadline to send the bill to the House.
CONNECTICUT CALL TO ACTION // Flavor Ban Update
The ill-advised flavor ban has been officially scrapped (for now) in favor of increasing MSA funds going to smoking cessation/prevention, and a working group to evaluate taxes, licensing fees and enforcement penalties.
READ MORE: Flavored Nicotine Ban Stalls in Public Health
HAWAI’I CALL TO ACTION // Flavor Ban Update
The Hawai’i flavor ban–based on lies such as “vaping is a gateway to smoking” and “youth vape for flavors,” while implying adults would be happy with “flavorless vapes”–appears to be dead in the water.
READ MORE: Hawaii bill to ban flavored tobacco products goes up in smoke
IN THE MEDIA // Tabloid Trash
The WHOLE story? Ms. Hall smoked for 22 years before vaping. She vaped without issue for 5 years and, after initially being diagnosed with bronchitis but not improving, she was found to have had a previously undiagnosed autoimmune disorder. (Yet her doctors blamed vaping.)
Ms. Hall’s father passed away due to an unnamed “terminal illness due to smoking.” This suggests she may have already been genetically predisposed to be higher risk for smoking-related diseases.
Doctors said her cause of death was post-tracheostomy bleeding, with secondary staphylococcal pneumonia & interstitial lung disease.
Post-tracheostomy bleeding, as the name suggests, is caused by the medical procedure.
Staphylococcal pneumonia is caused by a bacterial infection that is usually spread to the lungs through the blood from other infected sites, most often the skin. It is found twice as frequently in pneumonias in hospitalized patients.
The term “Interstitial Lung Disease” (ILD) covers many different lung conditions, but from the article it appears she had pulmonary fibrosis (PF). A history of smoking–even decades after quitting–is associated with a significant increased risk for the development of PF.
Given her family history, her history of smoking and the short period of vaping, it’s highly unlikely that Ms. Hall’s health issues were caused by vaping. It’s far more likely they were caused by 22 years of smoking.
But headlines blaming deaths on vaping get the Daily Mail a lot more clicks than the truth would.
FDA // Disingenuous Data Claim
“In its press release, the FDA disingenuously mentions that National Youth Tobacco Survey data show that Vuse is the “second most common brand youth e-cigarette users reported ‘usually’ using.” All three FDA-authorized Vuse products (and their menthol refills) are unpopular with users of all ages, and the agency knows that. The NYTS data refers largely to the very popular Vuse Alto.” (Reported by CASAA director Jim McDonald for Vaping360.)
15-20 million menthol cigarette users in the US but authorizing the harm reduction alternative isn’t “appropriate for the protection of public health”.
Even funnier is thinking that teens would use this monstrosity. This product was designed when they were in preschool. Their… https://t.co/TYSgZcKqkM
— Matt Culley (@MattFromSMM) March 17, 2023
READ MORE: FDA Denies Vuse Solo Menthol Refills, Cites Youth Appeal
COMMENTARY // Shamed For Vaping
This judgement by others irritates me no end. Because the reality is there are only a handful of things that people find it acceptable to judge people so openly and publicly on – with smoking cigarettes, drugs and vaping at the top of the shortlist. Every weekend people head out to bars and pubs and binge drink and this is perfectly acceptable to do. I have never come across a fellow clubber pulling a friend over to the side and warning them about all of the health risks that come with drinking the cheap spirits they’re consuming by the jug full.”
READ MORE: I vape in secret in order to escape the judgement – but I’m not ashamed of it
COMMENTARY // Should Vaping Be Banned?
Vaping is not risk-free, but several detailed reviews of the evidence plus a consensus of experts have all estimated it’s at least 95% safer to vape nicotine than to smoke tobacco. The risk of cancer from vaping, for example, has been estimated at less than 1%.
These reviews looked at the known dangerous chemicals in cigarettes, and found there were very few and in very small quantities in nicotine vapes. So the argument that we won’t see major health effects for a few more decades is causing more alarm than is necessary.”
“The question is not whether we should discourage teens from using vaping products or whether we should allow wider accessibility to vaping products for adults as an alternative to smoking. The answer to both those questions is yes.”
~ Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin University and Brigid Clancy, PhD Candidate (Psychiatry) & Research Assistant, University of Newcastle
READ MORE: How bad is vaping and should it be banned?
RESEARCH // Same Old Data, Same Old Agenda
This article about a study of using varcenicline on cigarette smoking youth with ADHD inexplicably uses an image of someone vaping rather than someone smoking. Was this done intentionally to conflate youth smoking with youth vaping?
The author also falsely claims that there has been a recent “increase” in young adult smoking. His source? A 2020 study using data from 2002-2018. Anyone who follows tobacco harm reduction knows that smoking has declined to historic lows among all ages — especially youth and young adults.
READ MORE: ADHD and Smoking Cessation Outcomes With Varenicline
TOBACCO CONTROL // The WHO vs the SCIENCE
This is just one example of dishonest World Health Organization anti-vaping propaganda put out all around the world:
This is a meaningless, misleading claim that has no basis in science. For example, this review of laboratory studies published after 2017 on metal contents in e-cigarette aerosol found that:
“Three studies on metal biomarkers found NO statistically significant difference” between vapers & non-users, suggesting that “inhaled metal content under normal vaping conditions does NOT seem be of concern at least for acute exposure.”
READ MORE: A Critical Review of Recent Literature on Metal Contents in E-Cigarette Aerosol
TOBACCO CONTROL // It Must Be Willful Blindness
This type of an illicit market has sprung up just from laws enacted to prevent minors from getting access. Imagine how crazy the illicit market will get once adults who have vaped for over a decade also can no longer legally get vapor products they need and want. That is, if they don’t just go back to smoking.
OMG shocking (NOT) black market industry serving youth? Now tell me how more regulations will keep vaping products out of the hands of children? https://t.co/klsKl1EVi2
— Maria Papaioannoy-Duic (@papaioannoy) March 22, 2023
READ MORE: Police seize large amount of vaping products for sale to students
TESTIMONIAL // Anecdote # 13,512
Mr. Miller switched to vaping and saw his health improve dramatically. He no longer suffers from COPD and his doctors told him they can’t even tell he ever smoked!
What’s YOUR real story? Submit your testimonial today!
SUBMIT YOUR STORY: 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
If you missed the most recent CASAA Live show, check out the replay now! 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, we had special guest Annie Kleykamp, a scientist and harm reduction advocate committed to “removing the barriers that separate the public from health research and policy.” She discussed with us how to discover if studies being reported by the media (and sometimes by the researchers themselves) are being misrepresented as finding “causation” when they really only found a “correlation.”
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: