So I have been coming on here and reading posts from people like say, in Washington State who are desperately trying to come up with something vapable after the flavor bans came crashing down, and I went on a pretty serious letter writing campaign in response. Here is the answer I got:
"Thank you for writing me regarding your thoughts on banning smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns.
The Trump Administration recently announced plans to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes as officials in Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to investigate more than 450 health cases, including six deaths, related to e-cigarette use. According to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the FDA intends to introduce a policy that will remove the sale of all flavored e-cigarette flavors except tobacco, until otherwise specified.
I understand that this is an important issue for parents and consumers of e-cigarettes in our district. As your Representative, I will continue to monitor this situation as it develops and will keep your thoughts in mind if any legislative action is taken on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Again, thank you for contacting my office about this important issue. If you would like to receive regular updates on this and other matters, please visit my website (www.demings.house.gov/) to sign up for my e-newsletter.
Sincerely,
Val Butler Demings
Member of Congress"
The part that instantly grabbed my attention was this:
FDA intends to introduce a policy that will remove the sale of all flavored e-cigarette flavors except tobacco, until otherwise specified.
Is this going to happen ahead of the deeming regulations? Is the FDA going to come up behind us and slip this over our heads while we aren't looking? And while vaping is coming under a full frontal assault, tobacco companies are laughing as they continue to kill 1200 people a day - because the spotlight ain't on them anymore.
And so it begins......
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it plans to ban the sale of non-tobacco-flavored electronic cigarettes amid a vaping crisis.
“The Trump Administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth.”
Michigan became the first state to prohibit sales of most flavored e-cigarettes last week in a bold move to curb the underage vaping epidemic. The ban, which will take effect in a few weeks, will cover both online and in-store sales of all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco.
Trump administration plans to ban sale of flavored electronic cigarettes
Trump Administration Weighs Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes
Sitting in the Oval Office with Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Ned Sharpless, the acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner, President Trump acknowledged that there was a vaping problem, and said, “We’re going to have to do something about it.”
Mr. Azar said that the F.D.A. would outline a plan within the coming weeks for removing most flavored e-cigarettes that are not tobacco products from the market.
Pressure also began to mount as Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, decided to step in by announcing a $160 million push to ban flavored e-cigarettes. Long an opponent of traditional smoking, the former mayor said his organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, would seek prohibitions of flavored e-cigarettes in at least 20 cities and states.
From left, Dr. Norman Sharpless, the acting F.D.A. commissioner, Melania Trump, President Trump and Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, discussing flavored e-cigarettes in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Trump calls for ending FDA authority for regulating tobacco
Should Congress get onboard with this?
President Trump has proposed removing the Food and Drug Administration's responsibility for tobacco regulation in his latest budget request, a task likely to be met with backlash from tobacco control advocates.
The budget request, released Monday, calls for creating an entirely new agency nested under the Department of Health and Human Services to regulate tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
Dimitris Agrafiotis (Vaping Greek) -- "double sided...at least we have some laws in place to protect us now. an independent body would have more power so depends on who is running it and the administration if it is good or bad... could be very bad."
Thoughts?
Received this email this morning...
On Monday, November 4, or early in the week, we are anticipating an announcement from the Trump Administration regarding FDA guidance about sales of flavored vapor products. According to recent reports, this guidance is expected to go as far as banning every flavor other than tobacco and menthol. In spite of years of communications from consumers and meetings with industry stakeholders, it is clear that officials remain unknowledgeable about how the vapor industry functions and what customers need.
Two flavors will not sustain independent vapor retailers and
will unnecessarily make vaping less attractive
to people who want to switch away from smoking.
The White House needs to hear from adult vapers and anyone who loves a vaper! A flavor ban won’t protect our children, but it will kill their parents.
We need to
Light Up The Switchboard
At The White House!
Ph: 202-456-1111
(Comment Line)
or
202-456-1414
(Switchboard)
On your call:
The operator will likely ask where they can direct your call
Simply tell them that flavored vapor products saved your life,
Tobacco and Menthol aren't enough to save small businesses or help people quit smoking; and,
tell them “We Vape, We Vote.
Be polite, be brief, and say thank you.
On hold? Here's something to do while you wait: Send a Message!
Share this Call to Action with your friends, family, and on social media!
Juul threw millions of dollars at Washington. It hasn’t bought much.
Juul Labs has spent millions of dollars on lobbying, hired high-profile Trump administration officials, and blanketed Washington with ads touting its efforts against underage vaping.
None of that was enough to keep President Donald Trump from moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday, delivering a blow to the dominant vaping company and its rivals.
“Vaping has become a very big business as I understand it, a giant business in a very short period of time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, sitting alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. “But we can't allow people to get sick and we can't have our youth be so affected.”
Neither Trump nor Azar mentioned Juul in their remarks. But Scott Gottlieb, who pressed for greater regulation of vaping as Trump’s Food and Drug Administration commissioner before stepping down earlier this year, said the move would have an outsize impact on the San Francisco-based company.
“This problem was largely created by the cartridge-based Juul products in my opinion,” Gottlieb said in a statement to POLITICO.
I know that there are threads covering bans in individual states, but I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread which covers all state bans.
So far, I know of the temporary, but complete ban, in Massachusetts, and a flavor ban announced in Michigan, Washington state, and Rhode Island. The New York ban is not in effect yet, but will be on October 4, I believe. Not sure about the other three states.
If there are more states which I'm not aware of, please list them.
New York Bans Sale of Flavored E-cigarettes, the First State in the U.S. to Do So
Rhode Island Governor Bans Sales Of Flavored Vaping Products
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/09/24/massachusetts-ban-all-vaping-product-sales-months-toughest-state-crackdown/
Michigan's flavored vaping ban in effect: Here are the new rules
Our 9/8 deadline is looming. If you care at all about your right to vape I urge you to send your congressperson a letter. It only takes a minute. Could be something like this :
"So more reasons for you to vote against this. Over the past couple of days I have been online purchasing $2000 worth of e liquid in anticipation of the 9/8 ruling.
One observation. On one of the websites I was asked whether 21 or older to enter. Filled my cart and at checkout age verification (00/00/0000) was again asked for. Was told shipping and billing addresses had to match, no PO boxes, and that my birthdate had to match my credit card info. I think this clearly illustrates that the measures can be in place to curb teen vaping.
Also I'd like to talk about that last flavor I ordered. It is Kentucky bourbon, almond Amaretto, vanilla and coconut. It is aged 2 months in oak barrels. Now I dont know about you but the first time I drank whiskey I almost threw up. Trying to say that flavors like this are adult acquired and would no way appeal to children. Dont take my healthier simple pleasures away and penalize me for unscrupulous vendors. There is a way to make this work for all of us.
Btw, I think of that $2000 dollars not going to a hard working middleclass business owner and it going to black market vendors instead. Not to mention the unemployment we will now foot because you will have crippled these people".
I got this back from my representative so they do acknowledge the replys:
Dear Mr. ,
Thank you for contacting me about your opposition to S. 1253, the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act. I appreciate hearing from you.
Like you, I am concerned about government overreach in this industry and how it affects people’s everyday lives. That is why I am proud to tell you that I voted against H.R. 2339, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, when it came up for a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would prohibit the flavoring of any tobacco product sold in the United States. The bill clarifies that all flavorings, including any artificial or natural flavor excluding tobacco, would be banned for sale. This ban would be extended to e-cigarette products, such as vape pens.
As you are aware, S. 1253 would require online sellers of e-cigarettes to ensure that the delivery carrier checks the ID of an adult upon delivery, which is the current requirement for cigarettes sold online. This requirement would ensure that online sellers have the same age verification requirement as physical retailers.
This legislation has passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent, and is currently being held at the desk. Should the Speaker bring this bill up for a full vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I will utilize your input. Hearing from constituents makes me a more informed legislator and a better voice in Washington, D.C. for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
For more information about federal issues or if you need assistance with a federal agency, you can contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-4576 or my District office at (623) 776-7911. To stay informed on how I am representing you in Congress, I highly encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter on my website at www.Lesko.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Debbie Lesko
Member of Congress
You just need to let them know that we are here and concerned as taxpaying constituents who are concerned about underage vaping.
If we don't fight, we'll never know if we can win.
Here's the link:
votervoice.net/mobile/CASAA/campaigns/69439/respond
Let's go!
Amid rising deaths and illnesses, Montana temporarily bans flavored e-cigarettes
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Tuesday enacted a 120-day ban on the sale of flavored vaping products, saying that e-cigarettes are a growing epidemic causing harm among today’s teens.
The ban will go into effect Oct. 22 and the 120 days is the maximum time allowed by law. The state is to implement emergency administrative rules to temporarily prohibit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.
I would bet that the majority of the people that post here are ex-cigarette smokers ... You started vaping as a means to stop smoking cigarettes.
And I am willing to bet that very very few of you would have purchased flavored cigarettes (if they were available) when you were actively smoking cigarettes.
So, my question is .... Why are the majority of the ex-tobacco smokers here buying fruit, breakfast cereal, custard, bakery, candy, etc flavored juice to put in your atomizers?
___________________________
Me ... I DIY my juice which is a mix of various tobacco flavors to include some cigar overtones.
Me ... I just don't personally vape something that smells and tastes like apple pie, etc ... but that's just me.
I haven't come across any studies or polls that determine how important flavors are/were to help vapers to quit smoking and remain off cigarettes.
This video is a fantastic testimony on how important flavors are in vaping. It's in an MP4 format, so the link looks funny, but its safe to click on. Mark_Slis-Michigan_Testimony-2019-09-12.mp4
He shares that 99% of his customers choose a fruit or desert flavor. An 87 year old grandmother chose "Fruity COPYRIGHTDMCA Cereal". Yes, older people like flavors and demand "kid flavors".
Why You Don't Need an E-Liquid that Tastes Like Cigarettes
So I'm asking everyone in this community to voice their opinion on how important flavors were to get you off of cigarettes when you began vaping, and how important are they to you today to keep you from returning back to smoking? Will you be able to use just "tobacco" flavors if the FDA bans flavors?
Sign the Petition