On October 10, the Columbia Board of Health unanimously passed a motion to draft a letter with policy recommendations for reducing youth access to and use of vapor products. Among the suggestions are a flavor ban and a temporary ban on sales of any vapor product.
The Board of Health acts as an advisory board to the City Manager, health officer, and the City Council on matters involving public health. While it may take some time for council members to draft an ordinance, there is certainly no shortage of examples from around the country–several being very restrictive.
At this time, there is no scheduled hearing for an ordinance which makes this a great opportunity to start a conversation with your local officials. Below, we are providing contact information, talking points, and a prewritten message for you to open a dialogue with City Council members prior to an ordinance being introduced.
Columbia, MO – Mayor and City Council
Comma delimited email list (copy/paste into the “to” field of your email):
Ward1@CoMo.gov, Ward2@CoMo.gov, Ward3@CoMo.gov, Ward4@CoMo.gov, Ward5@CoMo.gov, Ward6@CoMo.gov, Mayor@CoMo.gov
Clyde Ruffin 573-268-4783 Ward1@CoMo.gov
Mike Trapp 573-256-0174 Ward2@CoMo.gov
Karl Skala 573-474-2195 Ward3@CoMo.gov
Ian Thomas 573-239-7916 Ward4@CoMo.gov
Matt Pitzer 573-823-7037 Ward5@CoMo.gov
Betsy Peters 573-874-7812 Ward6@CoMo.gov
Mayor Brian Treece 573-874-7222 Mayor@CoMo.gov
Points to include in your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments:
Sample Message you can copy/paste into email forms:
(Please include your personal story about switching to vaping)
I am writing as a voter and taxpayer in Columbia urging you to resist calls from well-meaning but misinformed activists to enact policies that would ban flavored, smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco. A productive path forward must include adequate representation from all stakeholders – especially nicotine consumers.
Legitimate, regulated businesses play a vital role in ensuring that consumers have legal access to well-made products and keeping adult products out of the hands of young people. If these products are pushed into an underground market–where there is no oversight or motivation to comply with sales age restrictions–purchasing and consuming nicotine will be unnecessarily dangerous.
The recent outbreak of lung illnesses being broadly attributed to “vaping” by the CDC is a direct result of overbearing drug policy that encourages products to be made and sold by an underground, unregulated industry. Pushing currently legal nicotine products into such an environment might have similar results–including puting all consumers at greater risk.
I along with my fellow members of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) thank you for considering my comments on this issue. Please keep me informed of developments in this matter. I look forward to your response on this issue and I am available for any questions you might have.
The Board of Health acts as an advisory board to the City Manager, health officer, and the City Council on matters involving public health. While it may take some time for council members to draft an ordinance, there is certainly no shortage of examples from around the country–several being very restrictive.
At this time, there is no scheduled hearing for an ordinance which makes this a great opportunity to start a conversation with your local officials. Below, we are providing contact information, talking points, and a prewritten message for you to open a dialogue with City Council members prior to an ordinance being introduced.
Columbia, MO – Mayor and City Council
Comma delimited email list (copy/paste into the “to” field of your email):
Ward1@CoMo.gov, Ward2@CoMo.gov, Ward3@CoMo.gov, Ward4@CoMo.gov, Ward5@CoMo.gov, Ward6@CoMo.gov, Mayor@CoMo.gov
Clyde Ruffin 573-268-4783 Ward1@CoMo.gov
Mike Trapp 573-256-0174 Ward2@CoMo.gov
Karl Skala 573-474-2195 Ward3@CoMo.gov
Ian Thomas 573-239-7916 Ward4@CoMo.gov
Matt Pitzer 573-823-7037 Ward5@CoMo.gov
Betsy Peters 573-874-7812 Ward6@CoMo.gov
Mayor Brian Treece 573-874-7222 Mayor@CoMo.gov
Points to include in your emails, phone calls, and spoken comments:
- Briefly, share your story about switching to vaping and what role that flavors played in helping you switch.
- Note any health changes you’ve experienced.
- Briefly, discuss what losing access to local vape shops will mean for you (Will you shop out-of-state, in neighboring cities, or online? Will you make your own e-liquid at home or purchase products on an underground market?).
- Additional talking points for testimony and emails are available here.
- Watch these comments from San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar – YouTube
Sample Message you can copy/paste into email forms:
(Please include your personal story about switching to vaping)
I am writing as a voter and taxpayer in Columbia urging you to resist calls from well-meaning but misinformed activists to enact policies that would ban flavored, smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco. A productive path forward must include adequate representation from all stakeholders – especially nicotine consumers.
Legitimate, regulated businesses play a vital role in ensuring that consumers have legal access to well-made products and keeping adult products out of the hands of young people. If these products are pushed into an underground market–where there is no oversight or motivation to comply with sales age restrictions–purchasing and consuming nicotine will be unnecessarily dangerous.
The recent outbreak of lung illnesses being broadly attributed to “vaping” by the CDC is a direct result of overbearing drug policy that encourages products to be made and sold by an underground, unregulated industry. Pushing currently legal nicotine products into such an environment might have similar results–including puting all consumers at greater risk.
I along with my fellow members of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) thank you for considering my comments on this issue. Please keep me informed of developments in this matter. I look forward to your response on this issue and I am available for any questions you might have.
