Washington Call to Action: Multiple bills threaten access to and variety of vapor products

[noevilstar]

- CASAA: Washington Call to Action: Multiple bills threaten access to and variety of vapor products

Two identical bills have been introduced in the Washington House and Senate (HB 1645 & SB 5573). These bills appear to represent what Gov. Inslee wants the Legislature to include when it passes the 2016 budget. These bills would (among other things):

• apply a 95% sales tax on all vapor product devices, components, and liquids;
  
• ban all online sales to WA residents;
  
• ban all flavors other than tobacco, mint, wintergreen, and menthol;
  
• ban sampling in all vape shops

Please take action NOW to protect vaping from these harmful proposals. With an issue as important as this, we are asking vapers not to only send an email, but make phone calls to your State Senator, two State Representatives, and members of both committees asking that they oppose the Governor’s proposed 95% tax on vapor products.

• Oppose HB 1645 & SB 5573 - Send an Email

• Please call members of the House Commerce and Gaming Committee
  
• Please call members of the Senate Health Care Committee

• Please call your Senator and Representatives

 

[inspects]

Will do....thanks for the heads up.....!

 

[DrMA]

In my reading of these bills it looks like tobacco flavor would be banned as well. There seem to be explicit exceptions only for mint, menthol, and wintergreen.

There are an additional 2 bills on the docket!
HB1458 & SB5124 HEARING TODAY 2/11/2015
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-action-bill-hearing-feb-11-2015-1-30-pm.html



Also see this thread
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-ban-all-flavors-prohibit-internet-sales.html

 

[DrMA]

Look at the atrocity perpetrated today by Gov Inslee

http://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/gov-inslee-cites-new-data-showing-alarming-increase-adolescent-use-electronic-cigarettes

 

[sofarsogood]

If most parents had a chance to keep their kids from smoking by letting them use e-cigs they would go for that and a lot already are. This is prudent because

1. Nicotine is not addictive to never smokers. Study finds nicotine safe, helps in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's | Tampa Bay Times

2. If e-cig flavors matter to kids that's a good thing. E-cig flavors make cigarettes taste bad.

One of the strongest argements in favaor of e-cigs is that they are steering kids away from tobacco.