Calls to Action for Montgomery County and Minnesota. Heads Up Oregon and Indianapolis! Vaping research supporting harm reduction. Join your CASAA state group. Anti-vaping lies and consequences. Interview with Dr. Brad Rodu and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // Montgomery County, Maryland
The County is moving forward with a proposal to double its excise tax on vapor products. If enacted, the new tax doubles the current tax of 30% to 60%. The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27th. ACT NOW!
READ MORE: Montgomery County – Fight a Vape Tax Hike!
DO MORE: If you live in Maryland, join the CASAA Maryland Facebook Group
CALL TO ACTION // Minnesota
Vape taxes are in the state’s omnibus budget bill, expanding the existing nicotine e-liquid tax by imposing a 95% wholesale tax on DEVICES! Click the link NOW to learn more and TAKE ACTION!
READ MORE: Minnesota – Keep Vapor Taxes Out of the Budget!
DO MORE: If you live in Minnesota, join the CASAA Minnesota Facebook Group
HEADS UP! // Oregon
Lawmakers continue eroding ADULT access to safer nicotine products by banning online sales & delivery. Meanwhile, youth are placing orders on Tik-Tok and combustible cigarettes remain the most widely sold tobacco product IN THE WORLD.
https://twitter.com/FactsThetruth/status/1381791443233112069
READ MORE: Oregon House passes bill to ban online vape sales, close underage purchase loophole
DO MORE: If you live in Oregon, join the CASAA Oregon Facebook Group
HEADS UP! // Indianapolis, Indiana
City officials are misleading the public about the relative safety of vaping by including it in an already unscientific OUTDOOR smoking ban. This is purely about misinformation and stigmatization, not public health!
Who does the council think is going to enforce this? The police? Great. Let’s create more negative interactions with the police under the color of law.
— Jim Dora, Jr. (@jdorajr) April 13, 2021
READ MORE: Indianapolis could ban smoking in parks if proposal passes
DO MORE: If you live in Indianapolis or Indiana, join the CASAA Indiana Facebook Group
RESEARCH // E-cigarettes with cigarette-like nicotine delivery reduce exposure to carcinogen
Penn State researchers find vapor products that “deliver a cigarette-like amount of nicotine are associated with reduced smoking and reduced exposure to a major cancer-causing chemical,” even for “dual users.” A good argument for innovation!
New research from #PennState's @JonathanFoulds, @JessicaMYingst & @VCU: E-cigarettes with cigarette-like #nicotine delivery reduce exposure to carcinogen. https://t.co/lMzEdEWxrT#cigarettes #vaping #smoking #tobacco
— PSUPublicHealth (@PSUPublicHealth) April 13, 2021
READ MORE: E-cigarettes with cigarette-like nicotine delivery reduce exposure to carcinogen
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Plymouth Vaping Experiment
Brilliant blog post by Dan Preece & Gary Wallace on their successful harm reduction experiment w/ #vaping & meeting people who smoke/vape on their own terms. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
We saw in the original 20 people, how this small experiment…led to some engaging with other health services – dentistry and mental health support for example, we even saw some of the cohort encouraging hostel staff to switch to vaping.”
“People who smoke tobacco are telling us vapes work. And people that smoke who are in so called ‘entrenched’ groups whom public health have traditionally failed to reach are telling us this loudly. We need to listen to them…”
~ Dan Preece & Gary Wallace
READ MORE: Plymouth Vaping Experiment
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Dr. Brad Rodu
PUBLIC HEALTH // Exposing Anti-Vaping Lies
Colorado medical director & professor of pediatrics-pulmonary medicine, Dr. Robin Deterding, uses nearly EVERY vaping lie (“kids vape for flavors, flavors meant to lure kids, nicotine damages youth brains, a gateway to smoking,” etc.) to push the Denver flavor ban.
(1) Teen vaping has plummeted over the past 2 years. When can we stop calling 4.4% daily vaping an "epidemic"?
(2) Banning ecig 'flavor' causes teen vapers to switch to THC vaping or smoking. Adult vapers relapse to smoking. Fewer smokers quit. Cigarette sales strengthen. pic.twitter.com/2Nc5OUCZba
— Charles A. Gardner, PhD (@ChaunceyGardner) April 15, 2021
READ MORE: Opinion: Flavored products are driving the teen vaping epidemic — remove them from Denver stores
PUBLIC HEALTH: Medical Malpractice
Do no harm? Canadian Pediatric Society tells doctors NOT to suggest vaping to teens ALREADY SMOKING as a way to quit. Instead, they should “make a plan” and hope they won’t KEEP SMOKING until something works?
"Instead"? That makes zero sense.
Neither does advising people who smoke of any age to not stop smoking.
Nor recommending policy interventions which protect cigarette sales.https://t.co/NOSGlhk9rx
— Phil (@phil_w888) April 15, 2021
READ MORE: Vaping should not be used to help youth quit smoking, Canadian Paediatric Society warns
PUBLIC HEALTH // Unintended Consequences
It seems the war on vapor products may have created such a lucrative black market for JUUL pods that they’re now worth beating people up to steal them? We hope the uninsured clerk gets enough from GoFundMe for a speedy recovery!
A Yorktown store clerk is recovering after would-be robbers beat him with a baseball bat while demanding Juul pods.#FOX59Morninghttps://t.co/zbhBb2lFgN
— FOX59 News (@FOX59) April 14, 2021
READ MORE: Would-be robbers beat Yorktown store clerk with baseball bat, demand JUUL pods
PUBLIC HEALTH // Exposing Anti-Vaping Lies
Misleading article identifies vitamin E acetate in THC vapes as cause of EVALI, but brushes over the fact that it was found in black market THC vapes, not “e-cigarettes.” Then it claims that flavor bans helped halt outbreak without saying exactly how and calls for stricter regulation of nicotine vapes, which didn’t cause the outbreak!
Erm… former FDA boss Dr. Gottlieb would like to have a word with you… pic.twitter.com/tFL1aU759x
— Jukka Kelovuori (@jkelovuori) April 16, 2021
READ MORE: SciMoms – What is EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury)?
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.
SoundCloud:
YouTube:
Facebook Live Link:
https://www.facebook.com/CASAAmedia/videos/1094235547721535/