Call to Action for Texas, Wisconsin, Alaska and Missouri. Heads Up Montgomery County, Maryland! Updates for Montana, Prior Lake and Falmouth. Vaping research (both bad and good.) Outstanding commentaries from Katherine Revello, Alex Norcia and Corbin K Barthold. Public Health behaving badly and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // Texas
HB 211 will impose a 5¢/mL tax ($5 per 100 mL bottle) on e-liquid containing nicotine! Hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 12, 10:00 AM. CASAA has made it easy to oppose this tax. Just click the link and follow the instructions!
READ MORE: Texas – Stop a Vapor Tax (HB 211)
DO MORE: If you live in Texas, join the CASAA Texas Facebook Group
CALL TO ACTION // Wisconsin
Governor Evers is back on his mission to stop people who smoke from switching to safer vapor products by increasing the cost with a 71% tax (including devices) plus tricking the public into believing vapor harms bystanders by banning public use. Vaping consumers must show up at budget hearings to oppose! Take action now!
WISCONSIN: (HEADS UP!) Gov. Evers is back on his mission to stop people who smoke from switching to safer vapor products by increasing cost with a 71% TAX (incl. devices) PLUS a public USE BAN. Vaping CONSUMERS must show up at budget hearings to OPPOSE!https://t.co/bZhYqfH07u
— CASAA (@CASAAmedia) April 5, 2021
READ MORE: Wisconsin – Stop a Vapor Tax and Use Ban!
DO MORE: If you live in Wisconsin, join the CASAA Wisconsin Facebook Group
CALL TO ACTION // Alaska
HB 110 would enact a whopping 75% wholesale tax on e-liquids, #vaping devices, and components. There was a hearing on Friday, April 9th. Click the link for the current information and then TAKE ACTION!
READ MORE: Alaska: Fight a Vape Tax!
DO MORE: If you live in Alaska, join the CASAA Alaska Facebook Group
CALL TO ACTION // Missouri
Support HB517, preventing local governments from passing laws and taxes that are WORSE than what is law at the state level. A public hearing took place on Wednesday, April 7th. Click the link for current information and then TAKE ACTION!
READ MORE: Missouri: Stop Local Ant-THR Laws!
DO MORE: If you live in Missouri, join the CASAA Missouri Facebook Group
HEADS UP! // Montgomery County, Maryland
Council President Tom Hucker has proposed DOUBLING the county’s excise tax rate on vapor products from the current 30% to 60%. PUBLIC HEARING on April 27, 1:30 p.m. If approved, would go into effect on July 1st!
Cigarette sales have strengthened wherever nicotine vape taxes were increased.https://t.co/AVl0YwHsVd
Also a great way to increase prenatal smoking.https://t.co/X4k3DUZVn7
Sort of bonkers though, if you want to reduce horrible death from cancer, heart and lung disease.
— Charles A. Gardner, PhD (@ChaunceyGardner) April 6, 2021
READ MORE: Council Proposes Doubling Tax On E-cigarettes
DO MORE: If you live in Maryland, join the CASAA Maryland Facebook Group
COMMENTARY // State Bans on Tobacco Products Are a Disaster
As with all attempts by government officials to legislate morality, state bans…not only fail in their primary objective, but have knock-on effects likely to put the health of their residents in greater jeopardy.”
~ Katherine Revello
READ MORE: State Bans on Tobacco Products Are a Disaster
COMMENTARY // Teen Vaping Is Bad. So Are Many Ad Campaigns Against Teen Vaping
In light of recent anti-vaping campaigns aimed at teens, this article by Corbin K Barthold for Forbes Magazine from 2020 is even more relevant. Especially this point about relative harms.
In my opinion some ad campaigns have lead teens to try thing they normally wouldn’t. Great article! Teen Vaping Is Bad. So Are Many Ad Campaigns Against Teen Vaping. via @forbes https://t.co/0tipArIhJV
— Sonia Mac (@SassytxSonia) January 28, 2020
READ MORE: Teen Vaping Is Bad. So Are Many Ad Campaigns Against Teen Vaping
COMMENTARY // Vaping Prohibitionists Host Conference to Confirm Their Own Views
“Groups like PAVE and CTFK can never be satisfied. Their goal—eradicating nicotine use from the globe—is no more reachable than the drug-war mirage of a “drug-free world.” And as tobacco harm reduction technology expands, so does their mission….
“Completely absent from the conversation, of course, were tobacco harm reductionists and adults who used vapes to quit cigarettes.” ~Alex Norcia, Filter Magazine
"Groups like PAVE and CTFK can never be satisfied. Their goal—eradicating nicotine use from the globe—is no more reachable than the drug-war mirage of a 'drug-free world.'"
https://t.co/jRpyIM1e4t #HarmReduction #VapingSavesLives— American Vaping Assn (@AVABoard) April 9, 2021
READ MORE: Vaping Prohibitionists Host Conference to Confirm Their Own Views
PUBLIC HEALTH // Exposing Tobacco Harm Reduction Lies
Dr. Scott Magley, medical director for the emergency department at Conemaugh Miners Medical Center in Hastings, PA, implies smoke-free tobacco is “as dangerous as smoking” (not even close!) and cessation counselor Diana Mihalcik, youth services coordinator with Adagio Health, unethically and irresponsibly tells the outrageous lie that nicotine is “the most dangerous component of tobacco.” Such claims confuse the public about the continuum of risk with tobacco products, undoubtedly leading people who smoke to wrongly believe that there is no benefit to switching to smoke-free products.
READ MORE: Chew on this: Doctors warn of cancer, other health issues linked to smokeless tobacco use
LEARN MORE: CASAA – What Is Smokeless Tobacco?
PUBLIC HEALTH // Bad For Public Health
FDA’s “The Real Cost” anti-vaping campaign jumps the shark with a new Marvel “Reefer Madness” reboot–animated comics turning vaping into a cool new supervillain. Now the other 80% of kids who’d never thought about vaping will certainly be curious!
The FDA and Marvel have joined together to make a new supervillain, "The Mind Control Menace." It's a monster trying to infect an entire high school. You know, a metaphor for vaping. https://t.co/kIMPO0zwUt
— Alex Norcia (@Alex_Norcia) April 7, 2021
READ MORE: “Mind Control Menace”—The FDA’s Comic Attempt to Terrify Teen Vapers
PUBLIC HEALTH // Exposing Anti-Vaping Tactics
Public use bans are pushed using half-truths and truth twisting, such as the many found in this article. This is a major reason why CASAA opposes public use bans. If the public believes these lies, they’ll easily agree to OTHER bans & taxes, based on those lies!
PHE’s 2018 evidence review found that to date, there have been no identified health risks of passive vaping to the health of bystanders.https://t.co/dZ7TqwGaYb
Candles, vacuum cleaning, meat grilling produce more harmful exposures than vaping.https://t.co/az8MCPVXCX
— James A (@GoBeepUK) April 9, 2021
A short video produced with support from Public Health England, from a few years ago. The UK government promotes nicotine vaping for adult smokers.https://t.co/V7uDuIkWZb
— Charles A. Gardner, PhD (@ChaunceyGardner) April 9, 2021
READ MORE: Passive vaping: an impending threat to bystanders
RESEARCH // Vaping 50% Better Than NRT
University of Queensland researchers found vaping to be 50% more effective than nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) and 100% more effective than the placebo!
Something else to think about: NRTs were deemed “effective” by the FDA because clinical trials saw a small number of subjects quit for “months.” However, many relapsed after a year, often needing several more attempts to quit or giving up on quitting altogether. On the other hand, vaping helps people STAY smoke-free for YEARS and many who switch even report “accidentally” quitting smoking!
E-cigarettes help smokers quit for good, according to @UQHealth research by @GaryCKChan and team.https://t.co/86mDgObOap#UQResearch pic.twitter.com/bKtlOytMlM
— UQ News (@UQ_News) April 7, 2021
READ MORE: E-cigarettes help smokers quit for good
RESEARCH // Vaping Junk Science
This study misidentifies THC vapes as “e-cigarettes” in music videos, then observes the fact that people who have purchased or used a product are better at “recalling” videos that feature that product than people who have not. There is a common, well-known occurrence that psychologists call the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. It’s often experienced by people who buy a new car and then suddenly seem to see that model everywhere. However, researchers ignore this known phenomenon, instead suggesting their findings somehow show that “restricting electronic cigarette product placement in music videos…could reduce vaping among an age group that the electronic cigarette industry regularly targets.”
USC's Jon-Patrick Allem complains about music videos featuring vape brands.
Of the two brands cited, one was a dry herb vaporizer (Bad Bunny) and the other was a company that also clearly markets their products for THC use (DJ Khaled with KandyPens). https://t.co/Jq0wiOHwMn
— Gregory Conley (@GregTHR) April 7, 2021
#DidyouKnow when you buy a new car. Your #mind will see that car everywhere. That is called Baader-Meinhof phenomenon; or frequency illusion. Ur brain has taken note of your new car, now it alert you when it is seen everywhere. pic.twitter.com/QAYLCG52WZ
— Coach Brian (@_IamCoachBrian) January 4, 2021
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE // Montana
A preemption bill designed to block local governments from passing unscientific and baseless vapor regulations and taxes failed to pass in the state Senate, then gets revived the next day.
"Local control is getting way out of control. … We came in here and said 'Things have gone too far.' And that's one of the principles we're here to make sure that doesn't happen," said Ellsworth, R-Hamilton. https://t.co/nncQHCEBSn
— Tom Lutey (@TomLutey) April 8, 2021
READ MORE: Bill that would stop local governments from banning flavored vapes revived
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE // Prior Lake, Minnesota
City bans vapor flavors “specifically targeted at youth” which, ridiculously, means ALL flavors that don’t taste of tobacco or menthol, regardless of “youth appeal.” Flavors that are helping ADULTS avoid relapsing back to smoking!
Prior Lake bans sale of flavored vaping products – Another MN city embraces prohibition instead of harm reduction https://t.co/mT3Ckdz32e via @PLAmerican
— Skip Murray (@imaracingmom) April 8, 2021
READ MORE: Prior Lake bans sale of flavored vaping products
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE // Falmouth, Massachusetts
Lawmakers BLOCK adult smoking cessation by prohibiting low risk vapor product sales where deadly cigarettes can still be sold, thereby reducing access to a far safer option. Additionally, vaping essentially ANYWHERE in public, including outside on the sidewalk, is now prohibited!
FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS: City BLOCKS adult smoking cessation by prohibiting low risk vapor product sales where deadly cigarettes can still be sold, reducing access to a far safer option. Additionally, vaping essentially ANYWHERE in public is prohibited!https://t.co/R2fE4kEXT0
— CASAA (@CASAAmedia) April 9, 2021
READ MORE: New Tobacco Regulations Prohibits Smoking, Vaping In Public; Restricts Sales
TAKING ACTION // Submit Your Story
The CDC “Tips” campaign is looking for people who have quit smoking AND been diagnosed by a doctor with a “smoking-related” health condition. While it’s a long shot, we strongly encourage vapers who fit the criteria to submit their story! (If you’re selected, you could receive a check for $2,500!)
The @CDCTobaccoFree “Tips from Former Smokers” ad campaign is compelling. But it omits real-world solutions for real-life smokers who suffer real lethal diseases. Abstinence frequently doesn’t work, but safer smoke-free tobacco products do. https://t.co/akpwuCDbK3 #smoking #ecig pic.twitter.com/v6H6udRX5A
— Brad Rodu (@BradRodu) May 10, 2019
READ MORE: Tips From Former Smokers – Submit your Story
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:
YouTube:
Facebook Live Link:
https://www.facebook.com/CASAAmedia/videos/1094235547721535/