Vaping “Mail Ban” update. Heads up Boulder County and Corte Madera! Sign up for March 9th USPS webinar with CASAA et al. Cities banning vaping in private residences. Research supporting vaping. Lawmaker reverses flavor ban support and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio version of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // National “Vape Mail Ban” Update
We’ve been made aware that some lawmakers are refusing to acknowledge the validity of organized consumer campaigns, insisting constituents contact them directly. We won’t let that stop us! (See new note above Action #2.)
TAKE ACTION: USPS – Vape Mail Ban Comment Period Is Open
DO MORE: The more official members CASAA has, the stronger we are together. If you haven’t yet officially joined CASAA, click here to Join Now for free!
HEADS UP! // Corte Madera, California
A smoking ban in private residences exempts smoking medical marijuana, but bans vaping products, which are not shown to harm bystanders and actually help people quit smoking, the activity said to be the #1 cause of preventable disease.
TAKE ACTION: Corte Madera advances smoking/vaping ban for housing complexes
DO MORE: If you live in California, join the CASAA California Facebook Group
HEADS UP! // Boulder County, Colorado
Public health groups are using the misleading “no safe level” cliché (nothing is ever really 100% safe) and–without any evidence–claiming a need to “protect residents from aerosols from vaping” in order to ban public vaping, even if the business wants to allow it.
"Boulder County commissioners to consider updates to smoking restrictions" via @dailycamera #boulder https://t.co/x856AfdqYr
— Rocky Mountain Politics (@rockymntnpols) March 4, 2021
TAKE ACTION: Boulder County commissioners to consider updates to smoking restrictions
DO MORE: If you live in Colorado, join the CASAA Colorado Facebook Group
TAKING ACTION // Free USPS Comments Webinar
Join CASAA CEO Alex Clark, AVA president Greg Conley, Paul Blair and Michael Scanlon on March 9th for a free webinar discussing how and why to submit comments to USPS regarding the “vape mail ban!”
Please join us on Tuesday, March 9th at 2 PM Eastern for a free webinar with @CASAAmedia and others on how businesses and consumers can make their voices heard on the USPS vape mail restrictions.https://t.co/ktF2xdg7Fl #HarmReduction #Vaping
— American Vaping Assn (@AVABoard) March 2, 2021
SIGN UP: Free Webinar — Commenting on the USPS Vape Mail Restrictions
LOCAL UPDATE// Jurupa Valley Private Residence Ban
While not mentioned in the article, the new smoking ban ordinance in private residences defines “smoking” to include using #vaping products “for the purpose of ‘circumventing’ the prohibition of smoking,” citing NO evidence of harm and ignoring use to quit smoking!
Jurupa Valley bans smoking in new apartment complexes https://t.co/6VFS9fxJRU
— The Press-Enterprise (@pressenterprise) March 2, 2021
READ MORE: Jurupa Valley bans smoking in new apartment complexes
LOCAL UPDATE// West Hollywood Private Residence Ban
Smoking ban in private residences that includes low risk vaping, which helps people QUIT smoking, and with no scientific evidence of harm to bystanders, will now kick in March 1, 2022.
Hi @SethRogen,
I don’t know if you heard: #WeHo is considering a total ban on #marijuana smoking & vaping in all apartments, condos (rental & owned) & multi-family dwellings. It’s already banned in public, so it’s close to a de facto ban on smoking #weed.https://t.co/QJfRs53HaV— Mark Hughes (@markhughesfilms) August 10, 2020
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY // Exposing Anti-Vaping Lies
Public health advocate falsely claims teens “enticed” to vape because of “flavors” when real candy/sweets are much cheaper/easier/legal to buy? Outright lies that vaping isn’t less harmful and – quite laughably – says the term “vaping” was created by the tobacco industry!
For the past year, tobacco prevention specialists at RiverStone Health have offered a tobacco education program to middle and high school students in Yellowstone County. https://t.co/DmwL5qd25s
— Billings Gazette (@billingsgazette) March 1, 2021
READ MORE: Going ‘InDepth’ on youth e-cigarette use
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Tips From Vapers
CDC Tobacco Free has launched a new round of “Tips From Former Smokers” ads, celebrating 10 years of its campaign essentially designed to “scare smokers straight.” Tell us your tips to help people quit smoking & tag it on Twitter with #CDCTips. Then click the link below to add your story to the CASAA Testimonial Project!
ADD YOUR STORY: Real People. Real Stories. Submit Your Testimony.
OPINION // Public Health Fail
California was at the forefront of recognizing that the war on drugs was a moral and empirical failure. And yet, the legislature has eagerly committed itself to a new war on flavored tobacco.”
~ Guy Bentley, director of consumer freedom policy at Reason Foundation
READ MORE: California’s voters can save the state from ban-happy lawmakers
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Vaping Politics
In a rare turn of events, a politician seems to have come to their senses about vaping!
After voting in favor of a flavor ban, Green MLA Steve Howard (Prince Edward Island) apparently did a little more research into the topic and decided that flavor bans could be detrimental to public health.
“As far as a harm reduction tool goes, vaping is a powerful tool that we should not be discouraging people from using. And the flavours are a key component to uptake.” Howard now says.
We hope more politicians will finally come to the same conclusion before it’s too late!
READ MORE: P.E.I. Green MLA says bill banning vaping flavours could encourage smoking
PUBLIC HEALTH // New Zealand
New Zealand adult smoking drops from over 30% to under 13%, lawmakers see value of vaping for smoking cessation and studies show there is no “youth vaping epidemic” in New Zealand. However, that’s not stopping them from trying to pass regulations that will reduce adult appeal.
READ MORE: Tobacco tax revenue plunges as Kiwis kick the habit
PUBLIC HEALTH // Exposing Anti-Vaping Policy Bias
Youth vaping declined 2019-2020 but not cigarette smoking. So FDA’s Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan is a series of actions to stop youth use of tobacco, “especially e-cigarettes.” Shouldn’t that say “especially smoking??”
READ MORE: SAFE GC Coalition: National Youth Tobacco and E-Cig Use Survey
RESEARCH // Something to Consider
We’ve long said that eliminating a drug doesn’t eliminate the reasons why people started using the drug–including nicotine. If you start banning things to “help people,” be prepared for them to move to alternatives that could turn out to be more harmful!
READ MORE: More People Are Dying from Obesity and Excess Body Fat than Smoking, Research Suggests
RESEARCH // Youth Lung Injury Risk Study
Study looking at youth lung injury risks inadvertently illustrates importance of distinguishing between THC vaping, illicit THC vaping & nicotine vaping in youth “tobacco use” surveys. Don’t forget – nicotine vapes were not the cause of the ill-named “E-cigarette, or Vaping, Associated Lung Injury.”
READ MORE: Vaping marijuana associated with more symptoms of lung damage than vaping or smoking nicotine
RESEARCH // Vaping & Chemotherapy
Comparing the impact of vaping vs. smoking on chemotherapy, Dr. Lurdes Quiemado at the OU College of Medicine has found that vaping–at least when treating some tumors–is “not as harmful as tobacco smoke.”
READ MORE: University of Oklahoma researcher publishes major study on how e-cigarette use impacts chemotherapy
CASAA MEDIA // Podcast
Catch up on past tobacco harm reduction news with Alex and Logan on the CASAA podcasts. Watch for new episodes every Monday!