From: Phil Daman, President of SFATA.
Please step up TODAY to contact the CA House Appropriations Committee
members.
AB 1500 is coming up for a vote TOMORROW (21st) and Reps need to hear
from you all.
As the Bill stands, it would require not only age-verification at time
of online sale to assure buyer is 18+ (we are all fine with that), but
also requires someone 21 or over to be home to sign for the package
delivery. And, the cost for this "Adult Signature Required" service
will tack anywhere from $5-$6 into the cost of every delivery!
This is like a hidden tax. It should be called out as such.
These things are not obvious in the bill because you have to look at
the shipping costs and policies for delivery companies to discover
this fact.
It also creates a bizarre situation where adult smokers under 21 can
pay for a product, but cannot sign for it when it arrives. Where will
those packages end up?? I assume they will end up back at ecig
vendors' doorstep when they are undeliverable? But, they could also
end up sitting in some remote warehouse owned by UPS, FedEx, or USPS,
until someone 21+ goes and picks it up.
That is not good for sellers, but also bad for the health of the high
propensity under-21 crowd of current smokers. This is the age group
where tobacco control feels the lifelong tobacco habit is being
cemented into their lives. Why would this sponsor want to deny this
group of smokers the ability to easily purchase a harm reduction
product or even avoid smoking altogether?
Keep in mind that foreign entities and less-reputable entities will
continue to sell without adhering to the new legal requirements. This
also means that CA will likely be flooded with sub-par products from
suppliers with unscrupulous business practices.
Even adults over 21 will find it difficult to take a day off of work
to sit and wait for their delivery so they can sign the slip. So, this
creates an obstruction to their ability to access the vast number of options for
products online that may really assist their harm reduction plans.
In terms of the process with this bill, the sponsor lied to his fellow
legislators to get it passed out of the last committee. He promised to
address all of these concerns, then refused to do so. Folks that
contact the members of Appropriations should know this and be prepared
to mention that the sponsor has been double-dealing with fellow
legislators to trick them into allowing this bill to move forward.
CASAA: Call to Action! California Ban on Internet Sales (AB 1500) and Ban on E-Cigarette Usage (SB 648)
members.
AB 1500 is coming up for a vote TOMORROW (21st) and Reps need to hear
from you all.
As the Bill stands, it would require not only age-verification at time
of online sale to assure buyer is 18+ (we are all fine with that), but
also requires someone 21 or over to be home to sign for the package
delivery. And, the cost for this "Adult Signature Required" service
will tack anywhere from $5-$6 into the cost of every delivery!
This is like a hidden tax. It should be called out as such.
These things are not obvious in the bill because you have to look at
the shipping costs and policies for delivery companies to discover
this fact.
It also creates a bizarre situation where adult smokers under 21 can
pay for a product, but cannot sign for it when it arrives. Where will
those packages end up?? I assume they will end up back at ecig
vendors' doorstep when they are undeliverable? But, they could also
end up sitting in some remote warehouse owned by UPS, FedEx, or USPS,
until someone 21+ goes and picks it up.
That is not good for sellers, but also bad for the health of the high
propensity under-21 crowd of current smokers. This is the age group
where tobacco control feels the lifelong tobacco habit is being
cemented into their lives. Why would this sponsor want to deny this
group of smokers the ability to easily purchase a harm reduction
product or even avoid smoking altogether?
Keep in mind that foreign entities and less-reputable entities will
continue to sell without adhering to the new legal requirements. This
also means that CA will likely be flooded with sub-par products from
suppliers with unscrupulous business practices.
Even adults over 21 will find it difficult to take a day off of work
to sit and wait for their delivery so they can sign the slip. So, this
creates an obstruction to their ability to access the vast number of options for
products online that may really assist their harm reduction plans.
In terms of the process with this bill, the sponsor lied to his fellow
legislators to get it passed out of the last committee. He promised to
address all of these concerns, then refused to do so. Folks that
contact the members of Appropriations should know this and be prepared
to mention that the sponsor has been double-dealing with fellow
legislators to trick them into allowing this bill to move forward.
CASAA: Call to Action! California Ban on Internet Sales (AB 1500) and Ban on E-Cigarette Usage (SB 648)
