KENTUCKY: Statwide Bill Proposed to Ban Smoking and Vaping

[kristin]

Ahhh...I see what you're daying now. well, at least I know it's USP-grade nicotine used in the U.S. e-liquid labs.

The cigarette market in the U.S. is largely U.S.-grown tobacco though. If the U.S. tobacco companies wanted to shift their focus to processing nicotine for e-cigarettes they may be able to reduce costs. I can't even find any info online saying if U.S. tobacco companies even process tobacco just for the nicotine - they may have just ignored that market and let the Chinese have it. That could change. Just think about what happened with corn suppliers with the increased demand for high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the nicotine itself is coming from stateside chem suppliers,.
(or that those suppliers didn't order it in drum barrels from china, and break it down, as is often the case)

 

[TandT]

Ridiculous!

 

[DataPhreak]

Unfortunately, I don't think you will acomplish anything. Yes, please do attend and voice your opinion, however, this is where the democratic replublic that our country was built on comes into play. You see, you technically voted the health department board into power. Albeit indirectly, someone you voted for put these people into place. Arkansas pulled something similar with their smoking ban. You see, the smoking ban there came up for vote 3 times, and was voted down twice. The 3rd time it was veto'd by the governor. It was finally put into effect as a health code, which could not be voted on or veto'd, by the DOH. It's likely how they will pass the bill there, too. The system is bloated.

Been looking into this more: The next public hearing that will include this issue is at the Madison County Health Department board meeting on April 6th. I intend to be there, and I intend to bring support in the form of pro-vaping family and friends. I would encourage any and all Kentucky vapers to do the same. Or even better, come out to the next Bluegrass Vapers meet at the Buffalo Trace distillery March 12th @ 1pm.

Also, Susan Westrom and Kelly Owens (two of the big proponents of the ban, and specifically it's inclusion of e-cigs) are very much in league with Ellen Hahn, our local equivalent of John Banzaff. There will be no reasoning with the two of them. The other sponsors and officials, however, may be a different story. This state's looking like a hot bed of anti-activity right now. Its going to be a tough fight, I think.

And I'm with Kristin, I only buy USA made for various reasons. Call me crazy.

 

[Vocalek]

DataPhreak: Let's not be discouraging people by telling them it won't do any good to show up and let their voices be heard.

You may be unaware of this, but a group of vapers (led by Treece and JustJulie) who showed up in Illinois at a public hearing for a proposed ban last year were able to get the bill set aside. There is influence in numbers. Odds are good that the Lung Association and Cancer Society will be sending people in to testify "they cause cancer and will poison you and only children are buying them because of yummy flavors and smokers only use them to circumvent no-smoking laws."

Even if fewer vapers show up than antis do, the vapers need to point out that as consumers, they have personal experience with the products. It stands to reason that those who use the products know more about them than never-smokers who are only speculating about things they are afraid of.

In that situation, the antis showed their true colors. One legislator suggested that they only ban sales to minors. The Lung Association lobbyist said that her organiztion would not support that. She pushed for "all or nothing" and ended up with nothing.

 

[Vicks Vap-oh-Yeah]

I was part of the group in IL last year - what swayed the council (in part) was the passion we brought to the meeting, where the lobbyist for the ALA just sat there in her expensive suit and looked like someone who'd just been poleaxed.

The no comprimise, all or nothing (read: quit or die) mantra that the alphabet anti's are following with the intensity of a religious zelot is coming back to bite them hard - comprimise is the key to governance at any and all levels. Of course, they need to follow this course as long as they are pushing for bans for reasons OTHER than their stated ones (I'll give you a hint - public health isn't what their real goal is!), because their goals don't allow for ANY options to stop smoking other than the products offered by their pocket-masters.

 

[Vocalek]

I was part of the group in IL last year - what swayed the council (in part) was the passion we brought to the meeting, where the lobbyist for the ALA just sat there in her expensive suit and looked like someone who'd just been poleaxed.

The no comprimise, all or nothing (read: quit or die) mantra that the alphabet anti's are following with the intensity of a religious zelot is coming back to bite them hard - comprimise is the key to governance at any and all levels. Of course, they need to follow this course as long as they are pushing for bans for reasons OTHER than their stated ones (I'll give you a hint - public health isn't what their real goal is!), because their goals don't allow for ANY options to stop smoking other than the products offered by their pocket-masters.

I apologize for not mentioning you Vicks!


...and to anyone else that I neglected to include. You guys are heroes as far as I am concerned.

Didn't someone say, "Half of winning is just showing up"?

I was once sued in small claims court. The plaintiff did not show up. The Arbitrator asked me if I was willing to pay what she said I owed her. I said "Absolutely not." He then dismissed the case. As I was walking out of the court house, I spotted her walking in -- too late! She didn't see me, but boy, that made my day.

(She wanted me to pay for an addtional 6 months after pulling my 3-year old out of her daycare center. I had signed a contract. But I figured that she broke it first by neglecting to monitor his whereabouts at all times while in her custody. I arrived to pick him up one evening after work and they coulnd't find him! I don't think they even realized he was missing until I showed up. I did track him down, luckily at another child's house. But I don't pay people to lose my kid.)

 

[rothenbj]

Darn, I didn't realize they had monitors back then. Oh, you mention monitor in the biblical sense after re-reading.

 

[Vocalek]

I have now inserted the missing word "to" before the word "monitor." They better not have been doing anything to my kid in the biblical sense. I should consider myself lucky that all they did was lose him.

Come to think of it, he was actually only 2 years old at the time. I know 2-year olds move fast, but if your business is taking care of kids, then you better take care of them. All of them.

 

[Vicks Vap-oh-Yeah]

You are absolutely right, VocalEK - more than half the battle is garnering enough warm bodies to SHOW that what the other side is doing is incorrect. Especially in today's "if it doesn't bother me, I don't care" society. People (as a whole) just DON'T get involved on a personal level anymore.

 

[Tom09]

cn|2 Pure Politics. - Rep. Susan Westrom will re-introduce statewide smoking ban bill
Kentucky lawmaker to propose statewide smoking ban | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

 

[DC2]

I love the replys to that article. Folks in Kentucky seem to have their heads on straight.

 

[rothenbj]

Our buddy just can't avoid lurking here. Although the article had nothing to do with E cigs, per se, he had to use one of his copy past ECF/CASAA posts.

I commented"There are ANTZ (ANTI TOBACCO/NICOTINE ZEALOTS) and PANTZ (PSYCHOTIC ANTI TOBACCO/NICOTINE ZEALOTS). You be the judge."

 

[Bill Godshall]

It would be helpful if e-cigarette consumers in KY contacted Rep. Westrom urging her to NOT include e-cigarettes in her legislation, and informing her that Ellen Hahn, Smokefree Kentucky and the CTFK have been lying about the health risks of e-cigarettes and have deceitfully included e-cigarette usage bans in other smokefree legislation that they've advocated.