Harm reduction advocates embracing tobacco harm reduction. Results of bad Public Health policies. Worldwide Call to Action. CASAA in Action. Exposing roots of Anti-THR Research bias and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION // Tell the World Health Organization to Stop Lying
Lawmakers are contemplating an amendment to the Electronic Cigarette Substance Standards that would cap nicotine strengths to 3% in closed systems. Public comments will be accepted until 7/15/2021 and can be sent to tobaccorulescomments@utah.gov. Take action now!
Rarely does CASAA share petition links (to be brutally honest, most are misguided, poorly written and/or target the wrong people for the "ask,") but this is one they've actually blogged about and shared, so you know it must be significant! SIGN IT!! https://t.co/ZFOf7KZvOn
— Kristin Noll-Marsh (@Noll_Marsh) July 15, 2021
READ MORE: Petition the World Health Organization to Stop Lying!
DO MORE: Don’t let your right to choose alternatives to smoking be taken away! | #Right2Switch
CASAA IN ACTION // Website Update
CASAA has launched a new “Facts & Myths” section on its already extensive website!
“This is yet another resource provided by CASAA in its mission to get truthful information about THR to the public,” said CASAA President Danielle Jones.
CHECK IT OUT: CASAA.org l Facts & Myths
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Harm Reduction Advocates Embracing THR
I also got very interested in a semi-new issue for me, which is the fight over e-cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction — where I basically think that this push for banning and demonizing e-cigs is going to wind up being a net step-backwards in terms of broader public health goals.”
~ Ethan Nadelmann
READ MORE: Ethan Nadelmann Reexamines Adult Drug Use in New Podcast ‘Psychoactive’
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY // Shipping Ban Consequences
More than 400 businesses signed a letter urging FedEx to reconsider its ban on shipping vaping products. The signers include liquid manufacturers, distributors and vape shops across the country.
Shipping bans have subsequently made products more expensive for consumers trying to quit smoking.
“We used to ship a package from store to store for $30 and now we can’t get it from store to store for less than $325.” ~ Josh Sprague, Vape Store Owner
Hundreds of Vape Companies Urge FedEx to Reverse Shipping Ban.
By Jim McDonald @whycherrywhy https://t.co/fdKPWAUqba— Vaping360 (@Vaping360) July 15, 2021
READ MORE: Vape shops urge FedEx to change shipping rules as they struggle to adapt
ADDITIONAL READING: Hundreds of Vape Companies Urge FedEx to Reverse Shipping Ban
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY // One Vaper’s THR Journey
(Helen Redmond, Filter Magazine)
The war on nicotine has hit home for Patt Denning as it has for millions of people who vape.
“I was freaked out when I heard that I wouldn’t be able to get my vapes shipped to me,” she said. “I don’t think of my vape as medicine but that was kind of the feeling. All of a sudden I thought, ‘I found the right medicine and you’re going to take it away from me.’ I felt that desperation I imagine people on methadone feel when there is a hurricane or something. I was mad and I thought it was stupid. I had a fear reaction: ‘Oh no, I don’t want to go back to smoking cigarettes.’”
https://t.co/2315oxjRKr VAPING IS HARM REDUCTION #vapingsaveslives @harmreductiontx @HRInews @GFNicotine @GlobalStateTHR @NIDAnews
— Helen Redmond LCSW (@aftariak) July 16, 2021
READ MORE: “I Rarely Vape Until Cocktail Hour”—Patt Denning’s THR Journey
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY // Outdoor Vape Bans
Clearly having learned nothing from their neighbors down the coast in Ocean City, MD–and without any scientific evidence to support banning vaping outdoors–the mayor of Asbury Park, NJ claims that smoking and vaping on the boardwalk is a “health issue,” not a money grab (but the hefty fines will cost people anywhere from $250 – $1,000.)
Smoking tobacco, marijuana banned from Asbury Park, NJ boardwalk https://t.co/noIscJb25K
— New Jersey 101.5 (@nj1015) July 15, 2021
READ MORE: Smoking [and Vaping] tobacco, marijuana banned from Asbury Park, NJ boardwalk
RESEARCH // Exposing Anti-THR Bias
Tobacco Harm Reduction advocate and researcher Dr. Brad Rodu lays out the facts about government research funding on his informative blog, exposing how the US government has set itself up as a driving force behind the storm of anti-THR/anti-vaping research that’s continually pummeling both THR advocacy and the industry.
How NIH funding undermines tobacco harm reduction. We criticized the underlying schema 21 years ago; it’s now focused on e-cigarettes/vapor at ~$186 million per year. Universities=Fedgovt satellites. https://t.co/0pIx49DqOH pic.twitter.com/RFguR455aS
— Brad Rodu (@BradRodu) July 15, 2021
READ MORE: How NIH Funding Undermines Tobacco Harm Reduction
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.