[ Just paste broken links shown in purple directly into your browser - the extra line doesn't matter. Pls. PM me if you have more recent info. about proposed/actual legislation, if you think I've missed an important story, or if you want more tweaks to the formatting program. ]
1) CASAA updates CTA to support UT HB 112, which is now in a much less virulent form: CASAA: Call to Action! Utah Online Sales Ban (Effectively Would Make It Illegal for Utah Residents to Purchase Online)
2) Call-in show w/ Sen. Soloby of Penna., tomorrow at 8pm - sponsor of the simple minor sales ban which has just passed the Sen. Please urge him to not accept ammendments: Monday at 8:00 pm: E-Cigarettes with Sen. Tim Solobay : PCN: Pennsylvania's Neighborhood.
2) Reminder on Hawaii - vote Tues: SB 2495 would tax PVs, define vaping as smoking indoors and outdoors, and ban online sales is going to a full senate vote on Tues, see: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/legislation-news/532634-hawaii-wam-sb-2495-latest.html`
and:
CASAA: Call to Action! Hawaii Bills that Would Tax E-Cigarettes, Ban Flavors, Internet Sales, Usage, & More
3) Reminder on Long Beach CA - Council meets Tues: City Council meets Tues 5p Council Chambers 333 Ocean Blvd., ord. would ban indoor and outdoor vaping:
CASAA: Local Alert! Long Beach, California, E-Cigarette Usage Ban
Agenda: http://longbeach.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=299234&GUID=B33B8BF9-DF6D-4D59-9360-64D258B71637
4) Disappointing NYT editorial.
Coverage: UK (+Sct); US States: NJ; PA; AL; OH; LA; IN; KS; WA
Also: Vapor Corp. CEO Kevin Frija interview w/ NASDAQ news service.
***
WORLD
Title: E-Cigarette Have Become a Billion Dollar Business
(NASDAQ news/AOL) http://www.nasdaq
.com/video/e-cigarette-have-become-a-billion-dollar-business-518054343#ixzz2up1zpc5z
Video interview with Kevin Frija, CEO of Vapor Corp (makes Krave disposables and othes PVs). I was suprised to hear that they make a product that will "burn dry leaf tobacco" (is it a "vaporizer?"). CEO also seems to use the word "smoke" instead of "vape," and might have been cautioned by legal counsel to make the rather lame pitch that smokers use their products "becaues they don't want to [appear as if] they're smoking." Who came up with that one? He does appear to have a practiced vaper's hand, if his obligatory vape was any indication of his skills. Frija says that he expects FDA regulations "any day now."
***
UK NATINAL
Title: E-cigarette ad is sixth most complained about ever as watchdog launches probe
(NY Daily News US entertainment news amalgam site) http://www.dailynewsen
.com/local/page/business/e-cigarette-ad-is-sixth-most-complained-about-ever-as-watchdog-launches-probe-h2436787.html
Title says it all. Junk-free note on last week's VIP ad that ran on UK's ITV. You can watch the ad here (NSFW): http://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=H6lsDoBWTd0
---
UK: SCOTLAND
Title: Letter: There should be strong legislative controls to ensure that e-cigarettes
(Glasgow Sct local paper)
Hit job ANTZ letter writer is apparently outraged about the lack of regulation, and the role of BT. Sct-based vapers are urged to write letters to The Herald in response.
***
US NATIONAL
Title: Regulating Electronic Cigarettes [Editorial]
(NYT US nat'l paper) http://www.nytimes
.com/2014/03/02/opinion/sunday/regulating-electronic-cigarettes.html?hp&rref=opinion
NYT cheers the EU on for adopting its TPD, cites FDA '09 junk, and CDC junk on minor use. Accepts as fact the hypothesis that the vaping industry is "targeting" children, and urges that the EU TPD be adopted in the US. After last week's piece highlighting a debate between Siegal and Glantz, there was hope for something a better. No dice. If you're looking for a scintilla of a silver lining in this editorial, the only good thing I can say about it is that it doesn't repeat the unsubstantiated ANTZ position that vaping has no proven value in cessation or THR because virtually all vapers allegedly continue smoking, nor does it advise smokers not to try vaping as a form of cessation or THR (as the widely-syndicated/knocked-off Consumer Reports piece did recently). It even uses the word "quit," which - if you're really trying hard to find something positive here - implies that vapers are no longer smokers (i.e. that vaping is not smoking). From a vaping point of view, this is a bit like Putin's recent comment about gay athletes at Sochi - namely, they'll be fine as long as they "leave the children alone."
[ NY has a vaping=smoking bill indoor ban now in the legislature. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ng-e-cigs-contain-tobacco-all-workplaces.html also tax bill: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-tax-e-cig-cartridges-75-wholesale-price.html ]
---
US: NEW JERSEY
Title: E-cigarette boom hits Rockaway
(Parsippany, NJ US local paper) http://www.dailyrecord
.com/article/20140302/NJNEWS/303020021/E-cigarette-boom-hits-Rockaway
Junk-free report on new vape store.
[ NJ's house bill A1080 was originally proposed as a ban on tobacco smoking in parks and beaches, but was immediately ammended to include vaping as soon as it got on to the house floor. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ng-all-public-parks-beaches.html#post12349761 ]
---
US: PENNSYLVANIA
Title: Monday at 8:00 pm: E-Cigarettes with Sen. Tim Solobay
(Camp Hill PA Comcast Public Affairs Channel [local version of CSPAN]) http://pcntv
.com/2014/03/02/march-3-8pm-e-cigarettes-with-sen-tim-solobay/
Sen. Tim Solobay, sponsor of PA's SB 1055 - a simple minor sales ban - will appear at 8pm Monday evening. This bill has passed the PA Sen. and is ready for the house. Vapers are urged to call in, and to congratulate Sen. Solobay on his legislative efforts, while emphasizing that ammendments to the bill which discourage vaping are counterproductive to public health.
---
US: ALABAMA
Title: The health risks of e-cigarettes? No one knows for sure, but experts are leery
(AL ind. bus. web site) http://bamabusinessnews
.com/the-health-risks-of-e-cigarettes-no-one-knows-for-sure-but-experts-are-leery-3/
Reprint of piece ran yesterday in daily papers in Huntsvile, Birmingham, and Mobile. Reported yesterday in this space as well: The title of this piece should put every vaper on edge - here comes another heapin' helpin' of fear-mongering about "concerns and unknowns". And the fact that the local Co. Health Officer is the only quoted source also put me on edge. But to my astonishment, the MD actually embraced vaping as a cessation tool. This surprisingly balanced article - while containing some unnecessarily alarmist information about PG - also comes with some good feedback by vapers in the comments section. This source also ran a fairly decent piece about local vape shops on Friday, that was covered in this space.
[ AL's SB168 would explicitly exempt vaping from its indoor smoking ban, minor sales ban already in effect. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ld-ban-smoking-but-not-vaping-workplaces.html ]
---
US: OHIO
Title: Policies on puffing ecigarettes at work or in public are cloudy
(Toledo OH US local paper) http://www.toledoblade
.com/Retail/2014/03/02/Policies-on-puffing-ecigarettes-at-work-or-in-public-are-cloudy.html#Q8q2MAw7SJ9irWWd.99
While anti-vaping in tone, this article contains no specific junk citations. As with an number of pieces in the same vein that we've seen recently, it affirms that virtually all employers are treating vaping as smoking. Yet there are also hints that many employers are turning a blind eye to "discreet" vaping - i.e., what most vapers refer to as "stealth vaping." After much back-and-forth in the legislature earlier this year, OH passed a simple minor sales ban, but has no other vaping laws.
---
US: LOUISIANA
Title: Health Minute: Doctors weigh in on e-cigarette
(Baton Rouge LA US Fox affiliate) http://fox44
.com/news/health-minute-doctors-weigh-e-cigarettes
Yes, it's that horrible CNN "health minute" piece that ran in at least a dozen local affiliates across the country. See my post in "Comments Needed." Please e-mail CNN not this local station, since CNN is responsible for the syndication.
[ LA is not presently under threat, only SB 12, a simple minor sales ban, has been introduced so far this year. ]
---
US: INDIANA
Title: Business Profile: Tasting bar hopes to smoke the competition
(Anderson IN US local paper) http://www.heraldbulletin
.com/business/x1196462146/Business-Profile-Tasting-bar-hopes-to-smoke-the-competition
100% junk-free piece on new vape B&M in Anderson.
[ Indiana passed a simple minor sales ban last year. Indiana's HB 1174 proposes to tax vaping in the same way as tobacco (24% of wholesale), it's still in Ways & Means. See: HB 1174: Taxation of electronic cigarettes. Amends the definition of “tobacco product” to include electronic cigarettes for purposes of the tobacco products tax. – Hoosier Vapers and http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...5-hb-1174-taxation-electronic-cigarettes.html ]
---
US: KANSAS
Title: Claudia Blackburn: Risks of e-cigarettes not fully known
(KC KS US local paper) http://www.kansascity
.com/2014/03/01/4859443/claudia-blackburn-risks-of-e-cigarettes.html
Your tax dollars are hard at work here. Written by the Sedgwick Co. Health Dep't Dir., this one contains every single junk claim in the book. Vaping may be more dangerous to the vaper than a tobacco cigarette (not specifically asserted, but implied in claim that we "don't know whether they're safe." Minor fears and junk are emphasized, along with the gateway argument for both adults and children. Smokers are advised not to try vaping until PVs are deemed "safe and effective." This article is a perfect example of what I always say about hit pieces: if you want a professional job, then hire a professional ANTZ. Vapers are encouraged to comment.
[ Kansas appears to have no pending vaping legislation, but HB2672 would vastly increase the tax on smokeless products as well as tobacco cigarettes (but not vaping - yet): http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...29-pack-increase-otp-tax-10-78-wholesale.html ]
---
US: WASHINGTON (STATE)
Title: The Legislature's e-cigarette tax showdown
(Seattle WA US ind. nonprofit community news web site) http://crosscut
.com/2014/03/01/under-the-dome/118979/legislatures-e-cigarette-tax-showdown/
Although this piece contains some junk cites, it's refreshing to see that the author took the time and trouble to explain what PVs are, in his own words (instead of the standard description used by the FDA). You'll also find some nice quotes from opposed legislators, including one who "testified that the military routinely recommends e-cigarettes as alternative to tobacco." (this rep. is not on the cmte).
[ Washington's HB 2795 has been incorporated into the budget, will impose a 95% tax. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-cigs-95-referred-senate-ways-means-cmte.html and http://blog.casaa.org/2014/02/call-to-action-washington-bil ]
***
COLLECTION: Should the Government Regulate e-Cigarettes?
This piece is being republished/syndicated in a number of places. It was first printedFriday in the L.I. Newsday under the title: "Should E-cigarettes have regulation immunity?" and yesterday in the LA Daily News under the same title. I was hoping for a bit more thought on both sides: the focus seems to be on the psychology behind the demand for regulation. That said, the "ANTZ" advocate isn't terribly ANTZ-like, and his points are refreshingly jnk-free.
(Harrisburg PA US local paper) http://www.pennlive
.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/03/should_the_government_regulate.html
(Tulsa OK US local paper) http://www.tulsaworld
.com/opinion/readersforum/ben-boychuk-and-joel-mathis-redblueamerica-should-the-government-regulate/article_6ec7af8e-a56c-559b-addd-175328427acb.html
***
Tip: to see whether there are bad things happening where you live, try this Google search (example for Rhode Island) -
rhode site:casaa.org
(Replace rhode with a single word that describes your city, county, or state. For ex., if you live in Eau Claire, WI - you might use "Claire" to see if something is being proposed at the city level. Don't forget the : (colon), and be sure that there's nothing before or after the colon (not even spaces or tabs.)
You can also try replacing site:casaa.org with e-cigarette to find out what the media is reporting in your area. This is usually most helpful if you use the search tools to search by date. (CASAA doesn't generally issue calls or alerts until a bill is out of a state legislative committee, or is scheduled for a local city or county hearing.)
1) CASAA updates CTA to support UT HB 112, which is now in a much less virulent form: CASAA: Call to Action! Utah Online Sales Ban (Effectively Would Make It Illegal for Utah Residents to Purchase Online)
2) Call-in show w/ Sen. Soloby of Penna., tomorrow at 8pm - sponsor of the simple minor sales ban which has just passed the Sen. Please urge him to not accept ammendments: Monday at 8:00 pm: E-Cigarettes with Sen. Tim Solobay : PCN: Pennsylvania's Neighborhood.
2) Reminder on Hawaii - vote Tues: SB 2495 would tax PVs, define vaping as smoking indoors and outdoors, and ban online sales is going to a full senate vote on Tues, see: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/legislation-news/532634-hawaii-wam-sb-2495-latest.html`
and:
CASAA: Call to Action! Hawaii Bills that Would Tax E-Cigarettes, Ban Flavors, Internet Sales, Usage, & More
3) Reminder on Long Beach CA - Council meets Tues: City Council meets Tues 5p Council Chambers 333 Ocean Blvd., ord. would ban indoor and outdoor vaping:
CASAA: Local Alert! Long Beach, California, E-Cigarette Usage Ban
Agenda: http://longbeach.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=299234&GUID=B33B8BF9-DF6D-4D59-9360-64D258B71637
4) Disappointing NYT editorial.
Coverage: UK (+Sct); US States: NJ; PA; AL; OH; LA; IN; KS; WA
Also: Vapor Corp. CEO Kevin Frija interview w/ NASDAQ news service.
***
WORLD
Title: E-Cigarette Have Become a Billion Dollar Business
(NASDAQ news/AOL) http://www.nasdaq
.com/video/e-cigarette-have-become-a-billion-dollar-business-518054343#ixzz2up1zpc5z
Video interview with Kevin Frija, CEO of Vapor Corp (makes Krave disposables and othes PVs). I was suprised to hear that they make a product that will "burn dry leaf tobacco" (is it a "vaporizer?"). CEO also seems to use the word "smoke" instead of "vape," and might have been cautioned by legal counsel to make the rather lame pitch that smokers use their products "becaues they don't want to [appear as if] they're smoking." Who came up with that one? He does appear to have a practiced vaper's hand, if his obligatory vape was any indication of his skills. Frija says that he expects FDA regulations "any day now."
***
UK NATINAL
Title: E-cigarette ad is sixth most complained about ever as watchdog launches probe
(NY Daily News US entertainment news amalgam site) http://www.dailynewsen
.com/local/page/business/e-cigarette-ad-is-sixth-most-complained-about-ever-as-watchdog-launches-probe-h2436787.html
Title says it all. Junk-free note on last week's VIP ad that ran on UK's ITV. You can watch the ad here (NSFW): http://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=H6lsDoBWTd0
---
UK: SCOTLAND
Title: Letter: There should be strong legislative controls to ensure that e-cigarettes
(Glasgow Sct local paper)
Hit job ANTZ letter writer is apparently outraged about the lack of regulation, and the role of BT. Sct-based vapers are urged to write letters to The Herald in response.
***
US NATIONAL
Title: Regulating Electronic Cigarettes [Editorial]
(NYT US nat'l paper) http://www.nytimes
.com/2014/03/02/opinion/sunday/regulating-electronic-cigarettes.html?hp&rref=opinion
NYT cheers the EU on for adopting its TPD, cites FDA '09 junk, and CDC junk on minor use. Accepts as fact the hypothesis that the vaping industry is "targeting" children, and urges that the EU TPD be adopted in the US. After last week's piece highlighting a debate between Siegal and Glantz, there was hope for something a better. No dice. If you're looking for a scintilla of a silver lining in this editorial, the only good thing I can say about it is that it doesn't repeat the unsubstantiated ANTZ position that vaping has no proven value in cessation or THR because virtually all vapers allegedly continue smoking, nor does it advise smokers not to try vaping as a form of cessation or THR (as the widely-syndicated/knocked-off Consumer Reports piece did recently). It even uses the word "quit," which - if you're really trying hard to find something positive here - implies that vapers are no longer smokers (i.e. that vaping is not smoking). From a vaping point of view, this is a bit like Putin's recent comment about gay athletes at Sochi - namely, they'll be fine as long as they "leave the children alone."
[ NY has a vaping=smoking bill indoor ban now in the legislature. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ng-e-cigs-contain-tobacco-all-workplaces.html also tax bill: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-tax-e-cig-cartridges-75-wholesale-price.html ]
---
US: NEW JERSEY
Title: E-cigarette boom hits Rockaway
(Parsippany, NJ US local paper) http://www.dailyrecord
.com/article/20140302/NJNEWS/303020021/E-cigarette-boom-hits-Rockaway
Junk-free report on new vape store.
[ NJ's house bill A1080 was originally proposed as a ban on tobacco smoking in parks and beaches, but was immediately ammended to include vaping as soon as it got on to the house floor. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ng-all-public-parks-beaches.html#post12349761 ]
---
US: PENNSYLVANIA
Title: Monday at 8:00 pm: E-Cigarettes with Sen. Tim Solobay
(Camp Hill PA Comcast Public Affairs Channel [local version of CSPAN]) http://pcntv
.com/2014/03/02/march-3-8pm-e-cigarettes-with-sen-tim-solobay/
Sen. Tim Solobay, sponsor of PA's SB 1055 - a simple minor sales ban - will appear at 8pm Monday evening. This bill has passed the PA Sen. and is ready for the house. Vapers are urged to call in, and to congratulate Sen. Solobay on his legislative efforts, while emphasizing that ammendments to the bill which discourage vaping are counterproductive to public health.
---
US: ALABAMA
Title: The health risks of e-cigarettes? No one knows for sure, but experts are leery
(AL ind. bus. web site) http://bamabusinessnews
.com/the-health-risks-of-e-cigarettes-no-one-knows-for-sure-but-experts-are-leery-3/
Reprint of piece ran yesterday in daily papers in Huntsvile, Birmingham, and Mobile. Reported yesterday in this space as well: The title of this piece should put every vaper on edge - here comes another heapin' helpin' of fear-mongering about "concerns and unknowns". And the fact that the local Co. Health Officer is the only quoted source also put me on edge. But to my astonishment, the MD actually embraced vaping as a cessation tool. This surprisingly balanced article - while containing some unnecessarily alarmist information about PG - also comes with some good feedback by vapers in the comments section. This source also ran a fairly decent piece about local vape shops on Friday, that was covered in this space.
[ AL's SB168 would explicitly exempt vaping from its indoor smoking ban, minor sales ban already in effect. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ld-ban-smoking-but-not-vaping-workplaces.html ]
---
US: OHIO
Title: Policies on puffing ecigarettes at work or in public are cloudy
(Toledo OH US local paper) http://www.toledoblade
.com/Retail/2014/03/02/Policies-on-puffing-ecigarettes-at-work-or-in-public-are-cloudy.html#Q8q2MAw7SJ9irWWd.99
While anti-vaping in tone, this article contains no specific junk citations. As with an number of pieces in the same vein that we've seen recently, it affirms that virtually all employers are treating vaping as smoking. Yet there are also hints that many employers are turning a blind eye to "discreet" vaping - i.e., what most vapers refer to as "stealth vaping." After much back-and-forth in the legislature earlier this year, OH passed a simple minor sales ban, but has no other vaping laws.
---
US: LOUISIANA
Title: Health Minute: Doctors weigh in on e-cigarette
(Baton Rouge LA US Fox affiliate) http://fox44
.com/news/health-minute-doctors-weigh-e-cigarettes
Yes, it's that horrible CNN "health minute" piece that ran in at least a dozen local affiliates across the country. See my post in "Comments Needed." Please e-mail CNN not this local station, since CNN is responsible for the syndication.
[ LA is not presently under threat, only SB 12, a simple minor sales ban, has been introduced so far this year. ]
---
US: INDIANA
Title: Business Profile: Tasting bar hopes to smoke the competition
(Anderson IN US local paper) http://www.heraldbulletin
.com/business/x1196462146/Business-Profile-Tasting-bar-hopes-to-smoke-the-competition
100% junk-free piece on new vape B&M in Anderson.
[ Indiana passed a simple minor sales ban last year. Indiana's HB 1174 proposes to tax vaping in the same way as tobacco (24% of wholesale), it's still in Ways & Means. See: HB 1174: Taxation of electronic cigarettes. Amends the definition of “tobacco product” to include electronic cigarettes for purposes of the tobacco products tax. – Hoosier Vapers and http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...5-hb-1174-taxation-electronic-cigarettes.html ]
---
US: KANSAS
Title: Claudia Blackburn: Risks of e-cigarettes not fully known
(KC KS US local paper) http://www.kansascity
.com/2014/03/01/4859443/claudia-blackburn-risks-of-e-cigarettes.html
Your tax dollars are hard at work here. Written by the Sedgwick Co. Health Dep't Dir., this one contains every single junk claim in the book. Vaping may be more dangerous to the vaper than a tobacco cigarette (not specifically asserted, but implied in claim that we "don't know whether they're safe." Minor fears and junk are emphasized, along with the gateway argument for both adults and children. Smokers are advised not to try vaping until PVs are deemed "safe and effective." This article is a perfect example of what I always say about hit pieces: if you want a professional job, then hire a professional ANTZ. Vapers are encouraged to comment.
[ Kansas appears to have no pending vaping legislation, but HB2672 would vastly increase the tax on smokeless products as well as tobacco cigarettes (but not vaping - yet): http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...29-pack-increase-otp-tax-10-78-wholesale.html ]
---
US: WASHINGTON (STATE)
Title: The Legislature's e-cigarette tax showdown
(Seattle WA US ind. nonprofit community news web site) http://crosscut
.com/2014/03/01/under-the-dome/118979/legislatures-e-cigarette-tax-showdown/
Although this piece contains some junk cites, it's refreshing to see that the author took the time and trouble to explain what PVs are, in his own words (instead of the standard description used by the FDA). You'll also find some nice quotes from opposed legislators, including one who "testified that the military routinely recommends e-cigarettes as alternative to tobacco." (this rep. is not on the cmte).
[ Washington's HB 2795 has been incorporated into the budget, will impose a 95% tax. See: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-cigs-95-referred-senate-ways-means-cmte.html and http://blog.casaa.org/2014/02/call-to-action-washington-bil ]
***
COLLECTION: Should the Government Regulate e-Cigarettes?
This piece is being republished/syndicated in a number of places. It was first printedFriday in the L.I. Newsday under the title: "Should E-cigarettes have regulation immunity?" and yesterday in the LA Daily News under the same title. I was hoping for a bit more thought on both sides: the focus seems to be on the psychology behind the demand for regulation. That said, the "ANTZ" advocate isn't terribly ANTZ-like, and his points are refreshingly jnk-free.
(Harrisburg PA US local paper) http://www.pennlive
.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/03/should_the_government_regulate.html
(Tulsa OK US local paper) http://www.tulsaworld
.com/opinion/readersforum/ben-boychuk-and-joel-mathis-redblueamerica-should-the-government-regulate/article_6ec7af8e-a56c-559b-addd-175328427acb.html
***
Tip: to see whether there are bad things happening where you live, try this Google search (example for Rhode Island) -
rhode site:casaa.org
(Replace rhode with a single word that describes your city, county, or state. For ex., if you live in Eau Claire, WI - you might use "Claire" to see if something is being proposed at the city level. Don't forget the : (colon), and be sure that there's nothing before or after the colon (not even spaces or tabs.)
You can also try replacing site:casaa.org with e-cigarette to find out what the media is reporting in your area. This is usually most helpful if you use the search tools to search by date. (CASAA doesn't generally issue calls or alerts until a bill is out of a state legislative committee, or is scheduled for a local city or county hearing.)
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