Who's Actually Writing and Pushing All These Local Anti-Ecig Ordinances?

[AgentAnia]

We all know the "usual ANTZ suspects," of course. But this blog post:
http://jredheadgirl.blogspot.com/2013/09/anti-harm-reduction-hacks-struggle-to.html
led me to this organization: http: //changelabsolutions . org/.

A little digging in Change Labs' "tobacco control" tab got me here: http: //changelabsolutions . org/publications/e-cig-ord (How to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Smoking devices in Your Community") at which page they provide a handy downloadable "Model Ordinance Regulating Electronic Smoking devices."

Lest you think the sudden spate of proposed and passed local ordinances regulating ecigs is the result of strictly local anti-ecig sentiment or even strictly local fears about the growing popularity of ecigs, read the above. The annotated comments in the Model Ordinance document are especially revealing of ANTZ tactics. Know thine enemy...

(Note that one of the organization's funders is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)

 

[k3vin]

excellent information.I am going to forward the page to our assistant DA (who is a vaper) and also the casaa website so if anything tries to come up here he will know all the facts.

 

[cthulhufan]

Thanks! Subscribed to thread and filed under facts and info folder. You just can't have too much ammunition with which to fight this stuff.

 

[DC2]

We all know the "usual ANTZ suspects," of course. But this blog post:
http://jredheadgirl.blogspot.com/2013/09/anti-harm-reduction-hacks-struggle-to.html
led me to this organization: http: //changelabsolutions . org/.

A little digging in Change Labs' "tobacco control" tab got me here: http: //changelabsolutions . org/publications/e-cig-ord (How to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Smoking Devices in Your Community") at which page they provide a handy downloadable "Model Ordinance Regulating Electronic Smoking Devices."

Lest you think the sudden spate of proposed and passed local ordinances regulating ecigs is the result of strictly local anti-ecig sentiment or even strictly local fears about the growing popularity of ecigs, read the above. The annotated comments in the Model Ordinance document are especially revealing of ANTZ tactics. Know thine enemy...

(Note that one of the organization's funders is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)

Oh great, they started another ANTZ organization?
I thought starting the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids was more than too much.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the root of all evil, which means that Johnson & Johnson is the root of all evil...
FORCES International - News Portal

Big Pharma is not out to get us, right?

 

[AgentAnia]

Oh great, they started another ANTZ organization?
I thought starting the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids was more than too much.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the root of all evil, which means that Johnson & Johnson is the root of all evil...
FORCES International - News Portal

Excellent find, DC. This is going in my "about the ANTZ" file....

Big Pharma is not out to get us, right?

Yeah, right...

 

[2coils]

Great find! Disgusting.

 

[2coils]

Goes to show you how important it is to put out all of these fires at the local level. As it is even encouraged that this is where the MOST damage can be done!

 

[aikanae1]

In the lower left hand corner it says:
Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

so tell me why they get to use tax dollars for this - and eliminate a LEGITIMATE and LEGAL business? This has got to be in violation.

(PS. I know this is not a popular position, but I ran into information that sheds some doubt as to foundations like Robert Woods providing the bulk of funding behind these attacks. Until more proof is revealed, the amounts pale in comparison to other orgainzations such as ALEC - and now tax dollars)

We all know the "usual ANTZ suspects," of course. But this blog post:
http://jredheadgirl.blogspot.com/2013/09/anti-harm-reduction-hacks-struggle-to.html
led me to this organization: http: //changelabsolutions . org/.

A little digging in Change Labs' "tobacco control" tab got me here: http: //changelabsolutions . org/publications/e-cig-ord (How to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Smoking Devices in Your Community") at which page they provide a handy downloadable "Model Ordinance Regulating Electronic Smoking Devices."

Lest you think the sudden spate of proposed and passed local ordinances regulating ecigs is the result of strictly local anti-ecig sentiment or even strictly local fears about the growing popularity of ecigs, read the above. The annotated comments in the Model Ordinance document are especially revealing of ANTZ tactics. Know thine enemy...

(Note that one of the organization's funders is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)

 

[Alexander Mundy]

Oh great, they started another ANTZ organization?
I thought starting the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids was more than too much.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the root of all evil, which means that Johnson & Johnson is the root of all evil...
FORCES International - News Portal

Big Pharma is not out to get us, right?

According to GuideStar these are the major contributors to ChangeLab Solutions:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - $2,750,000
The California Endowment - $300,000
State of California - $850,000

The State of California?

BTW, Also according to GuideStar the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has almost 9 billion in assets!

Yes that is billion!

 

[DC2]

In the lower left hand corner it says:
Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

so tell me why they get to use tax dollars for this - and eliminate a LEGITIMATE and LEGAL business? This has got to be in violation.

You might want to review these threads...
US House E&C Cmte sends letter to DHHS Secretary Sebelius over use of CDC grants for lobbying
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...sed-federal-dollars-lobbying.html#post9804365

 

[AgentAnia]

You might want to review these threads...
US House E&C Cmte sends letter to DHHS Secretary Sebelius over use of CDC grants for lobbying
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...sed-federal-dollars-lobbying.html#post9804365

Haven't finished reading the first thread yet, but OMG, outrageous, and

(And now I know where your quote that appears on the anti-THR blog comes from! "They won't stop until we make them look like fools." )

 

[wheezal]

which means that Johnson & Johnson is the root of all evil...

and to think, they promised us "no more tears"

 

[ClippinWings]

We all know the "usual ANTZ suspects," of course. But this blog post:
http://jredheadgirl.blogspot.com/2013/09/anti-harm-reduction-hacks-struggle-to.html
led me to this organization: http: //changelabsolutions . org/.

A little digging in Change Labs' "tobacco control" tab got me here: http: //changelabsolutions . org/publications/e-cig-ord (How to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Smoking Devices in Your Community") at which page they provide a handy downloadable "Model Ordinance Regulating Electronic Smoking Devices."

Lest you think the sudden spate of proposed and passed local ordinances regulating ecigs is the result of strictly local anti-ecig sentiment or even strictly local fears about the growing popularity of ecigs, read the above. The annotated comments in the Model Ordinance document are especially revealing of ANTZ tactics. Know thine enemy...

(Note that one of the organization's funders is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)

I find their eCigarette "Fact" Sheet particularly troubling:

http:/
/changelabsolutions.org/
sites/default/files/E-cigarette_FactSht_FINAL_
%28CLS_20120530%29_October21_2011_
0.pdf

I did find this interesting:

The Tobacco Control Act expressly allows state and local governments to
regulate the sale and use of tobacco products, and authorizes them to enact
measures that are more restrictive than federal law.

Does that mean since they are not currently regulated as tobacco products that local governments are not authorized to enact such measures?

 

[AgentAnia]

Something stuck in my mind yesterday after scanning the language of this proposed ordinance and got me to thinking about it again this morning. Here's the section:

Any Person acting in the interests of him-, her- or itself, its members, or the general public (hereinafter “Private Enforcer”) may bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction, including small claims court, to enforce this [ article / chapter ] against any Person who has violated this [ article / chapter ] two or more times. Upon proof of the violations, a court shall grant all appropriate relief, including: (1) awarding damages; and (2) issuing an injunction or a conditional judgment. [ If there is insufficient or no proof of actual damages for a violation, the court shall award [ one-hundred and fifty dollars ($150) ] for that violation as statutory damages. ]

COMMENT: This provision enables private citizens (“Private Enforcers”) to go to court — including a trial court or small claims court — to seek compliance with the ordinance through an injunction (a trial court order to do or not do something) or a conditional judgment (a small claims court order requiring the defendant to pay money or to do or refrain from doing something “stop the smoking or pay money”).

Now, we all know that in this country, anybody can sue anybody else over just about anything, but the fact that the authors of this proposed ordinance thought it necessary to include a whole section about it (I haven't quoted the whole section, which is quite specific about whom to report to and notify, and how monetary damages/fines may be assessed), and to legally define them as "Private Enforcers," is chilling, and scarily reminiscent of another time and place where private citizens were encouraged to report their neighbors to the authorities...

(Also, notice the insistence on the term smoking, thereby reinforcing the dogma that e-cigarettes equal smoking.)

 

[AgentAnia]

[....]I did find this interesting:

The Tobacco Control Act expressly allows state and local governments to
regulate the sale and use of tobacco products, and authorizes them to enact
measures that are more restrictive than federal law.

Does that mean since they are not currently regulated as tobacco products that local governments are not authorized to enact such measures?

Hmmmm interesting point. We'd probably need a Placebo Effect or Bill Godshall to interpret that in a strictly legal sense, but the way I see it, a state or local govt. is free to define ecigs as tobacco products (even if the federal govt. hasn't done so) and then can enact any damn ordinance they see fit, as restrictive as they see fit.

 

[ClippinWings]

Hmmmm interesting point. We'd probably need a Placebo Effect or Bill Godshall to interpret that in a strictly legal sense, but the way I see it, a state or local govt. is free to define ecigs as tobacco products (even if the federal govt. hasn't done so) and then can enact any damn ordinance they see fit, as restrictive as they see fit.

That's what I thought as well... which made it odd that the "fact" sheet seemed to indicate otherwise.

 

[LadyVintage]

I read both the blog and the articles including all the downloads. This is scary! It also seems like the thing they were focusing on the most was the fact that it looks like smoking and that minors might think this is okay to do.
It is just total idiocy the way they have set up to regulate this. It's almost like they are doing it just because they are angry that a safer and more successful way to get off of cigarettes has been made.
I am definitely following this thread and will be posting information on my facebook as well. More people need to see this. I am so speechless after reading these crazy guidelines that are using scare tactics to regulate e-cigs. I just don't get it.

 

[Uma]

Speechless.
Oh hey, ECF has an article by them, up in the info site, or in the newsletter. CDC something. I almost commented, but my brains are foaming.

 

[DC2]

I read both the blog and the articles including all the downloads. This is scary! It also seems like the thing they were focusing on the most was the fact that it looks like smoking and that minors might think this is okay to do.
It is just total idiocy the way they have set up to regulate this. It's almost like they are doing it just because they are angry that a safer and more successful way to get off of cigarettes has been made.
I am definitely following this thread and will be posting information on my facebook as well. More people need to see this. I am so speechless after reading these crazy guidelines that are using scare tactics to regulate e-cigs. I just don't get it.

The thing I fail to grasp is why EVERY vaper isn't as outraged as you are.
Because as far as I'm concerned they all should be.

 

[aikanae1]

The thing I fail to grasp is why EVERY vaper isn't as outraged as you are.
Because as far as I'm concerned they all should be.

My hunch is that there already are agreements and promises made and now they have to fudge to justify them. That also leads me to believe that public opinion still matters or they wouldn't go to that trouble.

As long as the vaping community just responds to their questions, we'll be in a defensive position and all they need to do is move the goal posts to keep us hopping. That is something we can change. We can go on the offense.

Why doesn't the FDA follow through on disclosure of what's in cigarettes? Tying healthcare to tobacco tax is insane - should smokers feel guilty if they quit then some poor kid won't get to see a doctor? States shouldn't be relying on smokers for so much of their income if they truely want them to quit. How many have died from vaping - or even gotten sick? The list is full of questions that would be uncomfortable.