Calls to Action for vaping bills in Maine and Washington. Researchers looking for adverse effects find vaping is still significantly less toxic than smoking. CASAA Live is back! Heads up alerts in Mississippi, Colorado, California and Hawaii. Commentaries and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // Portland, Maine
The Portland City Council is moving forward with a proposal to ban the sale of all flavored vapor and tobacco products. First Reading of this ordinance took place on Wednesday, January 19!
TAKE ACTION: Portland, Maine: Stop a Flavor Ban
CALL TO ACTION // Washington State
If enacted, HB 1676 would impose one of, if not the highest retail taxes on vapor products in the country. A 33% tax would be paid on hardware, tanks, coils, batteries, and e-liquid. Take action NOW!
TAKE ACTION: Washington State Stop a Tax Hike on Vapor Products
HEADS UP // Mississippi
State @SenDavidBlount doesn’t seem to understand that his crusade to increase the cost of vapor products is regressive: making far safer alternatives to smoking less affordable for adults, without impacting teen experimentation.
READ MORE: Blount Files Bill to Tax E-Cigarettes at Same Rate as Conventional Cigarettes
HEADS UP // COLORADO
The Colorado legislature is trying to jump on the flavor ban wagon just after Denver’s mayor vetoed a ban. He said it should be a statewide ban and the anti-vape brigade apparently took that as a dare. Call to Action will be coming soon!
READ MORE: Colorado House Bill 22-1064
HEADS UP // Sacramento County, California
The Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance at their last meeting that bans flavored tobacco/vape sales in the unincorporated area of Sacramento County. The final vote will be during the upcoming Jan. 25 Board meeting!
READ MORE: Sac County Supervisors look to ban flavored tobacco sales abroad
HEADS UP // Hawaii
State lawmakers are again making false claims about vapor products, including that they are “targeting kids” and “are a gateway into nicotine addiction,” to pass a flavor ban that would only stop adults from quitting smoking.
READ MORE: Keiki Caucus says it hopes to ban flavored vaping products this year
RESEARCH // Vaping and Vision
Not so fast. Researchers found vapers were more likely to report vision problems, but as the eye condition may have preceded the vaping and the subjects likely previously smoked, authors DON’T prove vaping was the cause.
READ MORE: E-cigarette toxins may damage users’ sight
RESEARCH // Second-hand Vapor and Respiratory Problems
Experts call out glaring mistakes made in observational study that finds highly dubious correlation between second hand vapor and respiratory problems.
Kudos to Cameron English over at American Council on Science and Health for calling out the conclusions of the “second-hand vapor” study above as “little more than wishful thinking!”
'Secondhand #vaping' Risks Don't Justify Public E-cigarette Restrictions https://t.co/0w45u0hHl2
— ACSH (@ACSHorg) January 13, 2022
READ MORE: ‘Secondhand Vaping’ Risks Don’t Justify Public E-Cigarette Restrictions
RESEARCH // Adverse Effects on Head, Neck, and Oral Cells
Researchers misattribute EVALI to e-cigarette use; find possible risk of adverse effects on head, neck, and oral cells from vaping, but they can’t ignore the fact that vaping is still far safer than smoking.
Of note, most articles in this systematic review found cigarette smoke to be significantly more toxic to head, neck, and oral cells than e-cigarettes.”
READ MORE: Adverse Effects of E-cigarettes on Head, Neck, and Oral Cells: A Systematic Review
CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA LIVE
CASAA Live was back this week with special guest, author, documentary filmmaker and THR advocate Helen Redmond @aftariak! Join us on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook Saturdays at 4:30 PM Eastern/3:30 PM Central/1:30 PM Pacific time!
READ MORE: About Helen Redmond
CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA Director Matt Culley
CASAA director Matt Culley (@MattFromSMM) calls ’em as he sees ’em on Reg Watch. ❤️
COMMENTARY // The War on Nicotine
With the War on Drugs proven to be an epic fail–most damaging to minority, low income and LGBTQ communities, and those struggling with their mental health–do we really want to amp up the war on nicotine, a drug used most often by folks in those communities?
COMMENTARY // Anti-Vaping Fallacy
The red herring in this Chicago Daily Herald article makes us so angry! Arguing never-smokers shouldn’t vape because of (mostly debunked) “dangers” doesn’t prove vaping isn’t still “the best way to kick a smoking habit and to decrease the risk of tobacco-related diseases.” Obviously, “never-smokers” don’t need to “kick the habit” or “decrease the risk of tobacco-related diseases!”
Good lord. This doctor brought up both diacetyl and formaldehyde.
It's almost impossible to get upset with the folks spewing this debunked horse crap anymore.
I'm pissed that the @dailyherald published this trash.https://t.co/YQnJTjapyS
— Lindsey Stroud (@lmstroud89) January 19, 2022
READ MORE: Healthy Choices in the New Year: The Dangers of Vaping
COMMENTARY // CDC’s EVALI Fiasco
Marc Gunther’s latest article for Medium rightly calls out CDC for failing “to admit it was wrong about the deadly disease that it misnamed “EVALI.”
This is much more than a question of semantics. The CDC’s reluctance to rename EVALI and correct its communication around the disease has almost surely discouraged smokers from switching from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes, which are much less dangerous. No one has died from vaping e-cigarettes; smoking causes about 480,000 deaths a year.”
~Marc Gunther
READ MORE: The CDC’s EVALI screwup
COMMENTARY // Michelle Minton and Clive Bates
Journalists who write on tobacco should watch this short vid to get an idea of *just how absurd* the convo on vaping has become and why you shouldn't blindly trust statements from researchers/gov agencies/groups that are explicitly anti-tobacco. https://t.co/v4gtSBughO
— michelleminton (@michelleminton) January 18, 2022
WATCH:
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, plus there are still Black Friday deals on all items!
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.