Author: Bill Tarling

“Gov. Tony Evers hopes to combat the youth vaping epidemic with a sweeping package of bills, public awareness campaigns and regulatory changes. Evers, who is 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, cited troubling numbers showing a surge in youth vaping in Wisconsin. Evers is directing state agencies to bolster enforcement measures aimed at preventing the sale of e-cigarette and vaping products to young people, expand partnerships between public health officials and Wisconsin school districts, educate the public about the dangers of youth vaping and prevent manipulative advertising to young people. He is also calling on lawmakers to pass a package of bills aimed at preventing youth vaping. It includes measures that would ban e-cigarettes and other vaping products on K-12 campuses, expand the definition of public health emergencies, fund a public health campaign to address youth vaping, and expand enforcement powers of the departments of Revenue and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The legislation would also require people who sell vaping products to get a cigarette and tobacco products retailer license.”

BILL TARLING – I have no problem with Youth Education programs to encourage youth not to vape — HOWEVER, I do have a problem when all those “Youth Education Programs” are filled with misinformation and deceptive claims being used strictly as fear mongering & scare tactics rather than genuine scientific and truthful teachings.

ARTICLE LINK:

Gov. Tony Evers unveils sweeping plan aimed at combating youth vaping

“‘Adults using nicotine-containing e-cigarette or vaping products as an alternative to cigarettes should not go back to smoking; they should weigh all available information and consider using FDA-approved smoking cessation medications,’ the CDC said in a press release. CDC officials say there are ‘confident’ that vitamin E acetate, a diluting agent used in many THC vaping products, is behind the illnesses. Although the agency says that smokers who have switched to vaping should not return to using combustible cigarettes, the CDC also advises vaping products should ‘never be used by youths, young adults or women who are pregnant.'”

ARTICLE LINK:

CDC drops its warning against vaping nicotine for adults as officials say it’s blackmarket THC e-cigarettes that are ‘driving’ the outbreak

“After one of Mr. Trump’s pollsters, Tony Fabrizio, described the importance of health care as an electoral issue, Mr. Trump reached for the phone on the Resolute Desk and called Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services. “I never should have done this vaping thing,” Mr. Trump said, adding an expletive, according to two of the people familiar with what happened. Mr. Azar supported a ban on flavored e-cigarettes”

ARTICLE LINK:

In Oval Office Meeting, Trump Expresses Regret on Vaping Policy

“Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee proposed legislation this week that would permanently ban flavored vaping products, with less than a month until the state’s temporary ban expires Feb. 6. The ban would take effect immediately, and shortly after, retailers would have to get rid of prohibited items in their stock. They can destroy those items, send them out of state or back to their manufacturers. The bill, introduced in both the state House and Senate with some bipartisan support, would also impose limits on nicotine levels in vapes, which tend to be higher than conventional cigarettes. The bill would also require manufacturers to submit detailed disclosures about the ingredients in their products to the Washington State Department of Health.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Inslee moves to permanently ban flavored vaping products

“The new policy doesn’t change the letter of the law surrounding vaping, since from the FDA’s perspective, all vapes, as newer tobacco products, need agency authorization to be on the market legally. But in practice, the policy prohibits the production, distribution and sale of all flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes, with the exception of menthol and tobacco flavors, after Feb. 1. After that date, unless a manufacturer can show that an unauthorized flavored cartridge is “appropriate for the protection of public health” and receive FDA authorization, the product will not be allowed on the market. The FDA also said it would take action against e-cigarette manufacturers if they do not take adequate measures to prevent teen access, or if they market to minors, regardless of whether their products are flavored or cartridge-based. The FDA does not consider its policy to be a ban. Nervertheless, University of Maryland Carey School of Law professor Kathleen Hoke told us she was skeptical that any non-menthol flavored pod product would receive premarket authorization.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy

“Vaping was all over the news towards the end of 2019 and the headlines were not good. What’s important is that we don’t let any headlines distract us from the real big bad wolf, which is cigarette smoking (and other products containing tobacco). Quitting smoking is a tremendous personal challenge and an emotional one. Reading that vaping is not the safe alternative they thought it was, could be a terrible blow for someone trying to quit. But with any data we must think beyond the statistics. There are still millions of people who do smoke. Preventive-maintenance appointments give dental practitioners valuable time to discuss issues like vaping and smoking cessation. If vaping is helping them cut down on cigarettes, they can continue. With regards to what is going on in the US, if headlines send just one person who was trying hard to quit back to smoking more cigarettes, this would be a shame.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Kimberley Lloyd- Rees Dental Hygienist & Therapist

“Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg announced recently that he would ban all flavored e-cigarettes if elected. However, research shows that such an impulsive response could keep cigarette smokers from switching to potentially safer alternatives. That announcement comes right in the wake of the release of a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper that shows the dangers of restricting access to e-cigarettes. The paper studies a Minnesota policy to tax e-cigarettes at 95 percent of their wholesale price. So while it is always tempting for politicians to overreact to public health concerns surrounding vaping and e-cigarettes, it is more important that they keep the broader picture in mind. 𝗘-𝗰𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Bloomberg’s Proposed Vape Ban Comes With A Cost To Health

“A health board in West Virginia’s largest county voted Thursday to ban the use of e-cigarettes and vapes inside public spaces, news outlets reported. The Kanawha County Board of Health unanimously passed the ordinance that will bring e-cigarettes and vapes in line with existing bans prohibiting the use of cigarette and tobacco products inside businesses.”

ARTICLE LINK:

West Virginia county bans indoor use of e-cigarettes, vapes

“The politics of e-cigarettes infiltrated Ottawa’s annual conference on smoking cessation this week with a group claiming to represent the rights of vapers complaining they were being “shut-out” of the conference and that it was unfairly targetting vaping. The pro-vaping group, Rights4Vapers, even rented a room at the Shaw Centre next door to the 12th annual Ottawa Conference on state-of-the-art clinical approaches to smoking cessation, saying they planned to hold a conference within the larger conference. That rental was later rescinded. Spokesperson, Sherin Edwards, a vaping business owner and advocate from Mirabel, Que., and a former candidate for Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada, said the group opposes regulations, including bans on flavoured e-cigarettes and nicotine levels. The group’s aim is to “protect the rights of adult vapers, whose access is under siege,” he said.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Pro-vaping group infiltrates smoking cessation conference

“The Food and Drug Administration posted on its website in late December: “It is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product — including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes — to anyone under 21.” While the implementation date of the federal law is no longer in doubt, the question of who will or can enforce the law remains more of a puzzle. Because it’s a federal law, local law enforcement generally wouldn’t be the enforcers. Some police departments have received an informational document called Federal Tobacco 21: The Law of the Land that states: “FDA will oversee enforcement of the minimum legal sales age at 21.” What exactly that enforcement will look like remains unknown.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Federal tobacco law needs state backup