Fountain City Vapor Club has issued a Local Call to Action for Olathe, Kansas, where the City of Olathe is poised to ban e-cigarette use wherever smoking is prohibited.
CASAA is rebroadcasting this Local Call to Action to its Kansas members (as well as members who live in Kansas City, MO and KS). If you have any connections to Olathe or the nearby area, we ask that you take action.
This ordinance will almost certainly be voted on at the next Olathe City Council meeting on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 7:00 PM. The agenda has not been posted yet, but will appear here: http://www.olatheks.org/Council/Meetings
This ordinance can be defeated! There are seven member of the Council, and currently three have voiced support for this ordinance, while two have indicated they oppose treating e-cigarette use the same as smoking. Getting truthful and accurate information to the two members who have not yet stated an opinion on the issue -- Councilman Jim Randall and Councilman Wes McCoy -- is critical to achieving victory. We also ask that you contact the other members of the City Council as well and ask to meet with them before the hearing on December 2, 2014.
The public is welcome (and strongly encouraged) to attend these meetings and address the lawmakers with their concerns and comments. Those wishing to speak should ask the City Clerk when they arrive how they can sign up to speak.
Speaker guidelines: http://www.olatheks.org/Council/Speaker
Facebook Event (you can RSVP to receive additional updates):https://www.facebook.com/events/1557218397826451
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CONTACT THE OLATHE CITY COUNCIL:
Comma delimited email list:
jrandall@olatheks.org, [email]rwmccoy@olatheks.org, jbacon@olatheks.org, lcampbell@olatheks.org, mcopeland@olatheks.org, mvogt@olatheks.org,rryckman@olatheks.org[/EMAIL]
Have not publicly expressed their opinion:
Jim Randall
PH: 913-424-3999
Email: jrandall@olatheks.org
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jim.randall.961?fref=ts100
Wes McCoy
PH: 913-269-1035
Email: rwmccoy@olatheks.org
Twitter: @rwesmccoy
Oppose treating e-cigarette use the same as smoking:
John Bacon
PH: 913-269-6305
Email: jbacon@olatheks.org
Larry Campbell
PH: 913-488-7278
Email: lcampbell@olatheks.org
Want to treat e-cigarette use the same as smoking:
Michael Copeland
PH: 913-971-8500
Email: mcopeland@olatheks.org
Marge Vogt
PH: 913-269-0625
Email: mvogt@olatheks.org
Ron Ryckman
PH: 913-927-5333
Email: rryckman@olatheks.org
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SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS
1. You are an Olathe-area resident and you oppose the e-cigarette usage ban because private businesses should be able to decide their own policies. (If you are responding to this Local Call to Action and are not a resident of Olathe, please mention any connection you have to the area, such as a friend or family member who lives in the area.)
2. Tell your story on how switching to an e-cigarette has changed your life.
3. Clarify that:
a. Smoking bans are ostensibly enacted to protect the public from the harm of secondhand smoke, but e-cigarettes have not been found to pose a risk to bystanders. In fact, all evidence to date shows that the low health risks associated with e-cigarettes are comparable to other smokeless nicotine products.
b. The low risks of e-cigarettes is supported by research done by Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth, Dr Maciej L Goniewicz of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand, Dr. Igor Burstyn of Drexel University, and by the fact that the FDA testing, in spite of its press statement, failed to find harmful levels of carcinogens or toxic levels of any chemical in the vapor.
c. A comprehensive review conducted by Dr. Igor Burstyn of Drexel University School of Public Health based on over 9,000 observations of e-cigarette liquid and vapor found "no apparent concern" for bystanders exposed to e-cigarette vapor, even under "worst case" assumptions about exposure.
d. Electronic cigarette use is easy to distinguish from actual smoking. It is easy to tell when someone lights a cigarette from the smell of smoke. E-cigarette vapor is practically odorless, and generally any detectable odor is not unpleasant and smells nothing like smoke. Additionally, e-cigarette users can decide whether to release any vapor ("discreet vaping"). With so little evidence of use, enforcing use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.
e. The ability to use electronic cigarettes in public spaces will actually improve public health by inspiring other smokers to switch and reduce their health risks by an estimated 99%.
f. The City Council should take the time to carefully review the facts and address this issue responsibly. For example, the ordinance as presently drafted would perversely allow smoking in tobacco shops but would ban e-cigarette use in vape shops.
4. Direct them to the CASAA.org website, as well as the CASAA Research Library, for more information.
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ADVOCACY SUGGESTIONS:
1) Please pronounce the name correctly when you are calling
Olathe
Pronunciation: O-LAY-tha
th - pronounced as th in thin
tha - rhymes with pah
2) Email and call the members of the Olathe City Council to explain why you oppose efforts to ban e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited, and (2) attend any meetings and offer testimony in opposition to efforts to define smoke-free e-cigarette use as smoking (see Suggested Talking Points listed above.)
3) Contact local media (television station producers and newspaper editors) to tell your story and explain why this ordinance is bad for public health and actually encourages smokers to keep smoking.
4) Post comments on online news stories about this proposed ordinance telling your story and why you oppose the ordinance (see partial list below.)
5) For social networking users, the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the City Council members have also been included with contact information when available. Let them know how you feel!
6) Share this email on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google +) and in any area vaping groups. Get your supportive family members and friends to also share!
If you are on Facebook and want to get more involved in Kansas City, be sure to join the Fountain City Vapor Club group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1410089765872870/
7) Contact all of your local vape shops and let them know that they need to fight this ordinance (no more vaping in their shop). Retailers can contact their customers, make them aware of the proposed ordinance and get them to attend hearings.
8) Even if you do not wish to speak publicly, be sure to attend meetings and rallies as an audience member to show a strong, united front and to make clear to the media and lawmakers that such actions are hurting real people.
9) As a sign of respect, we request that you refrain from vaping during any meetings with lawmakers and/or media, avoid the use of "vape slang" (ie. "juice") and foul language, and act in an otherwise respectful manner.
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OTHER DOCUMENTS
Ordinance:
http://www.olatheks.org/Council/Agenda/2014-11-18 (see item 5A)
Municipal Code:
http://www.olatheks.org/files/CityDocuments/code/code_06.pdf
Media coverage:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/olathe-southwest-joco/article4124776.html
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