“A ban on flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco products passed the House Friday but divided Democrats, with some saying it unfairly targets African Americans. The bill, which passed 213-195 and was sponsored by Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), a former health secretary under President Clinton, is intended to curb the rise of youth vaping rates by banning non-tobacco flavors such as mint and mango that public health experts say lure children into smoking.”

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House approves bill banning flavored tobacco products

“Banning flavours in vape cartridges was never going to satisfy America’s anti-nicotine fanatics and so HR 2339 was drawn up to ban flavours in e-cigarette fluids altogether. That includes mentyhol and it includes all tobacco products too. If presented to the President in its current form, the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”

ARTICLE LINK:

rump promises to veto flavours ban

WHITE HOUSE

WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

“The government announced plans to put a 20 per cent tax on vaping products. Hagen said once the budget is passed in the spring, Alberta will become the fourth province in Canada to tax vaping products, falling in line with Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. According to Budget 2020, devices like pens, open systems, pot and cartridge devices and all their accessories will be subject to the tax. All e-liquids, including cannabis ones, will also be taxed the extra 20 per cent. The government will also be taxing what it calls “other DIY vaping products,” like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine solutions and flavourings, that are sold for vaping.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Alberta getting new vaping tax, what does that mean for young vapers?

“The U.S. House approved 90 minutes of debate on regulating nearly all tobacco products as well as vaping. No amendments will be allowed. The bill gives the F-D-A oversight of current tobacco products and any new products that might be created; bans flavored tobacco, including menthol flavored cigarettes; and places a fee on the makers of tobacco and vaping products to pay for implementing the proposed law.”

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Tobacco Products & Vaping Regulation Bill

“The City Council in Solana Beach wants to make it illegal to sell any kind of flavored tobacco within the city. Under the proposed ban, stores in Solana Beach wouldn’t be allowed to sell any kind of flavored tobacco. That means menthol cigars, flavored hookah tobacco, flavored cigars, e-cigarettes or anything else that has a “distinguishable tast or aroma or both, other than the taste or aroma of tobacco, imparted by a Tobacco Product or any byproduct produced by the Tobacco Product.””

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Solana Beach considers ban on sale of flavored tobacco products

“A sweeping tobacco bill slated for a House vote this week is reviving interest in limiting the levels of nicotine in cigarettes and other products. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), who’s sponsoring the bill, this week prodded FDA leaders about the status of nicotine cap, which was part of an ambitious tobacco agenda launched by former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in 2017. The renewed attention to nicotine limits is partly fueled by a new low-nicotine cigarette called Moonlight that’s billed as less addictive and could soon hit the U.S. market. A panel of FDA advisors this month weighed whether the product with 5 percent the nicotine of ordinary cigarettes is enough to earn it a “modified risk” designation, meaning it could benefit the health of the population as a whole.”

BILL TARLING — The low nicotine cap on cigarettes is actually a rather stupid and counterproductive direction which would likely sell more cigarettes [which would help Tobacco companies] since smokers would need to smoke more in order to get their nicotine satisfaction. A smarter solution would be to ban the carcinogens and chemical boosters from cigarettes that Tobacco Companies use to boost the nicotine addictive strength. If you get rid of the cigarette addictive boosters, then it would be much easier for smokers to quit.

ARTICLE LINK:

House tobacco bill revives talk of nicotine limits

“Florida House and Senate leaders agree that the state needs to rein in teenagers’ skyrocketing use of electronic cigarettes, but the two chambers have adopted different approaches on the issue and, with time running down on the legislative session, an ideological standoff could doom efforts to address it. The House plan (HB 7089) would regulate vape shops, the retail establishments that sell e-cigarettes and other vaping products. Under the bill, the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees sales of tobacco, would permit and regulate vape shops by creating a new category of “nicotine products” under state law. But the proposal would not do two things the Senate is seeking: identify e-cigarettes and vaping products as “tobacco products” and raise the age to purchase any tobacco products — including e-cigarettes — from 18 to 21. Under the Senate plan, retailers who sell vape products would be regulated like other establishments that sell tobacco products and have to pay the same $50 permit fee to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation as retailers that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. Senate President Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who has made a crackdown on youth vaping one of his legislative priorities, has said he does not support creating a separate regulatory structure for vape shops. House Speaker José Oliva, meanwhile, is balking at raising the age to purchase cigarettes and vaping products, despite the federal law.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Florida House, Senate At Odds On Vaping Solutions

“The initial deception almost always gets more attention than the subsequent correction. As the often-misattributed quip puts it, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” This especially holds true for potential public health threats, which are ripe for spreading misinformation and causing panic. Last June, the Journal of the American Heart Association published a study that found e-cigarettes are linked to a significantly heightened risk of a heart attack. One of the authors, Stanton Glantz, is a prominent critic of e-cigarettes who once said e-cigarette users “would be better off just smoking.” However, it turns out that claim is not supported by scientific evidence. It would be wise to remember there are huge incentives for researchers to report scary stuff. It garners more grant money, exposure and influence. The drug prohibitionists have always relied on flimsy evidence and the public’s willingness to make snap judgments in the face of a perceived public health menace.”

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Do Iowa lawmakers care about vaping facts?

“The state House passed a bill on Wednesday to increase taxes on vaping products and other non-cigarette tobacco products, a measure estimated to raise $50 million of new tax revenue over the next two fiscal years. Sponsored by Rep. Jerry Miller, R-Louisville, House Bill 32 would add vaping products to the list of smokable tobacco products such as cigars that are subject to a wholesale tax, with that rate increasing from 15% to 25%. The legislation also doubles the per-unit tax on non-smokable and chewable tobacco products, but does not affect the tax rate on packs of cigarettes. The bill passed the House with a vote of 75 to 17 and now heads to the Senate.”

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Kentucky House passes bill raising taxes on vaping

“Indiana lawmakers are poised to double the fines stores could face for selling smoking or vaping products to anyone younger than 21 years old. The additional penalties are part of a bill increasing Indiana’s minimum age for smoking and vaping from 18 to 21 to conform with a new federal law. But the Republican-sponsored proposal doesn’t include any additional taxes on cigarettes or regulations on vaping liquids as sought by health advocates. The House and Senate must still give final approval to the agreement before the legislative session ends in a couple weeks to send it to Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has endorsed tougher retailer penalties.”

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Indiana lawmakers agree on tougher tobacco sales penalties