WA State HB 1645 - WE COULD LOSE MOUNT BAKER VAPOR!

[hurricanegirl100]

ECF Moderators: Please do not move this thread. I posted this here on purpose because it will get more views.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/CMD/Handler....umentcontent&documentId=wycel0TfJz4&att=false

HB1645 passed Comittee. It now goes to the State House and then Washington state Senate for a vote. If this goes through, anybody who lives outside of Washington state will have to go for a VERY long drive to get Mt. Baker juice. And it will be expensive!!

The mean part (aside from the taxes).
Prohibits the retail sale and shipment of vapor products where the sales transaction is conducted through the Internet or by mail order, and prescribes regulatory sanctions and criminal penalties for noncompliance. Strikes bill provisions authorizing qualifying domestic and out-of-state manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to conduct retail sales of vapor products through the Internet or by mail order.

Strikes provisions preempting local governments from imposing additional regulations or restrictions on vapor products. Authorizes local governments to impose additional restrictions on the sale, purchase, use, or promotion of vapor products.

WE CAN'T HAVE THIS!! Please contact the house representatives of Washington state regardless of what state you live in. Send them a brief note (hopefully, they'll get tons of emails!) telling them how e-cigarettes helped you quit or smoke cigarettes less. And beg them not to do this. If these house reps see how many people will be impacted by this law, maybe we can change their minds.

Here's a link - if you have the day off today, step in for the rest of us moyuks and let the emails begin!
I'm one of those moyuks - but when I get home from work, this is what I'm going to be doing while I eat dinner tonight!

Representatives

We gotta save Mount Baker - we just have to!

 

[hurricanegirl100]

Wow. Not a single comment. If this bill passes, every single Mount Baker Vapor customer gets what they deserve.

 

[DavidOck]

Those of us here in WA have been fighting this for months, and continue to do so. And thanks for the "bump" which may get others involved.

Even if you're NOT in State, make your voices heard. Talk about lost revenue to the State, question whether a State can preempt the Feds (Interstate Commerce), and so on.

 

[Runamok3x]

WE wont lose mt baker, WA might lose them. Mt baker has the opportunity to vote with their feet and relocate.
Shame on WA if they allow this.

 

[EZRaider]

Wow, I love Mt. Baker Vapor products.

I tried to E-Mail the Reps. But, I don't have a valid WA address and it will not let me submit the form. WTH!

 

[Steamer861]

 

[Str8vision]

They will relocate if it becomes necessary, but, once the feds regulate us the states will descend like a plague of locusts....there may not be a safe place to go in the end.

 

[LMS62]

Wow. Not a single comment. If this bill passes, every single Mount Baker Vapor customer gets what they deserve.

I would be willing to wager that not all MBV customers read ECF, and even though I order from MBV every now and then, I had family visiting today and didn't see this thread until a few minutes ago. But because there were no comments until 3pm, "if this bill passes, every single Mount Baker Vapor customer gets what they deserve". Every single customer? Ok then.

 

[buckethead]

Where will MBV go? To another state? I know Indiana is getting hit hard right now as well. We've called, written, e-mailed, protested, etc. Others states are going to follow. I don't think MBV or any other company can move once a year as each state comes down on vaping. It's a scary mess right now no matter which state you reside in.

 

[Runamok3x]

Texas is accepting new small businesses.
Florida is nice this time of year.

 

[LMS62]

Unfortunately, it is very expensive (not to mention time consuming) to move a business, large or small, along with many of the employees, to a different state. I believe that in many cases, it may not be a viable option.

 

[Hannypoo]

Whoa... So do I need to email EVERY representative on that list? I mean, I'd be happy to, if necessary, but I'm wondering if I should direct my plea to a specific few. I'm no longer a Washington resident, so I'm not sure how to approach this and who would be the best person(s) to speak with.

 

[man00ver]

The document linked by the OP is a proposed amendment submitted to the Commerce committee on April 7, first of all. That means the legislation must still be in committee and not yet ready for floor vote.

I skimmed the proposed amendment, and I think the effects of the bill are not properly described on this thread. ECFs legal beagles should probably look it over, but it seems to me that it will restrict the residents of Washington state from mail-order or Internet purchasing of vapor products, rather than restricting MBV from shipping products to out-of-state customers. It justifies this by presuming that one's age can only be properly verified in person.

This is bad enough, of course, and the WA voters that elected these fools should be storming the ramparts to keep this thing out of their collective faces. I'd love to help, but since my vote doesn't count to WA legislators or the governor, my leverage is limited (and I really can't claim to be impacted, so dramatic prose isn't realistic).

 

[Hannypoo]

Okay... So it looks like Rep. Eileen Cody (Health Care & Wellness Committee Chair) should be contacted, at the very least. Even if you don't feel like this impacts you, personally, it's a slippery slope. I'm no longer a Washington resident, so my opinion may not matter to them, but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[man00ver]

It looks like ECF has been tracking this (and other WA vaping threats), details and helpful instructions are HERE.

It does look like WA residents are at risk of losing their purchasing options. MBV will only be able to ship to out-of-state customers under the proposal (though they could still sell at WA retail stores if they meet the licensing requirements).

 

[Hannypoo]

Dear Rep. Cody and others to whom this subject may concern,

I am a former Washington resident, currently residing in Idaho, but I will be returning to my children's birth state soon. I am a voter who STRONGLY opposes HB1645. I beg you not to vote in favor of any bill that may thwart access to safer alternatives to smoking. I have stayed abreast of all research pertaining to vaporizers and electronic cigarettes, and it's quite obvious that these products help people effectively stop their deadly smoking habits, as well as being less harmful than analogs. I am a former healthcare worker who has personally witnessed the positive results these products have allowed in the lives of my patients. I urge you to stop this bill in its tracks.

Respectfully Yours,
*****
*****@gmail.com

 

[Hannypoo]

The three representives I sent this to were outside of the district of the address I gave (my former Seattle address), but it gave me the option to send it anyway. I will also send it to the representives of my former district.

 

[DavidOck]

Thanks for that, Hanny. The more the better!!

 

[zoiDman]

Bump

<<<>>>

 

[skoony]

It looks like ECF has been tracking this (and other WA vaping threats), details and helpful instructions are HERE.

It does look like WA residents are at risk of losing their purchasing options. MBV will only be able to ship to out-of-state customers under the proposal (though they could still sell at WA retail stores if they meet the licensing requirements).

perhaps you could point out the part that allows MBV to ship out of state.

Strikes provisions authorizing licensed vapor products retailers to allow customers to
taste vapor products prior to purchase.
• Prohibits the retail sale and shipment of vapor products where the sales transaction is
conducted through the Internet or by mail order, and prescribes regulatory sanctions and
criminal penalties for noncompliance. Strikes bill provisions authorizing qualifying
domestic and out-of-state manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to conduct retail sales
of vapor products through the Internet or by mail order.

i seem to have missed it.
regards
mike