Tobacco harm reduction news for February 28, 2019. Calls to Action for Arkansas and Delaware. Anti-harm reduction laws in Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Florida, Alaska, West Virginia, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Oregon.
ARKANSAS: (CALL TO ACTION!) HB 1519, which would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking, is moving on to the floor of the House for a vote!
ARKANSAS – Stop Tobacco AND Vapor 21 Bill! – CASAA
DELAWARE: (CALL TO ACTION!) SB 25 would raise sales age for tobacco AND #vaping products to 21-years-old, prohibit use of coupons/discounts for vapor products, & add vapor products to Delaware’s signature on delivery requirement for online sales.
DELAWARE – Stop Attack on Vaping! – CASAA
RACINE, WISCONSIN: (HEADS UP!) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders or necessity of intervention, officials want to ban #vaping where #smoking is prohibited, prohibiting business owners from allowing #vaping on their own property & removing incentive to switch.
Perez proposes vaping ban for minors; may also add e-cigarettes to public smoking ban
THE MORE YOU KNOW: With #smoking at all time low, all pretense of justification for indoor & outdoor bans with “known harm from smoke” dropped for “NICOTINE-FREE ORDINANCE” w/ NO EVIDENCE of health risk to bystanders from #vaping or #smokefree products.
Committee seeks county’s next nicotine-free ordinance
TEXAS: (HEADS UP!) Bill would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking.
Should Texas Increase the Legal Smoking Age to 21?
HARDIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY: (UPDATE) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders or necessity shown, officials ban #vaping where #smoking is prohibited, prohibiting business owners from allowing #vaping in own property & removing important incentive to switch.
E-cigs added to law regulating smoking
ROBBINSDALE, MINNESOTA: (HEADS UP!) City would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking. FINAL VOTE MEETING MARCH 19th!
Robbinsdale Moves to Raise Tobacco Sales Age to 21 – CCX Media
LYNN HAVEN, FLORIDA: (HEADS UP!) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders or any other reasonable justification, officials move to BAN #VAPING OUTDOORS (but getting people drunk seems to now be acceptable.)
https://bit.ly/2TnK9Pv
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: (HEADS UP!) Ordinance would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking.
Assembly takes on legal tobacco age, bike thefts, bus barn
MINNESOTA: (UPDATE) bill to deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking passed two committees in the Minnesota House and Senate.
Bill proposing to raise the tobacco age to 21 passes 2 Minnesota House, Senate committees
DELAWARE: (HEADS UP!) A bill introduced Wednesday would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking. (At least this one doesn’t criminalize youth possession.)
Delaware lawmakers seek to raise age to buy tobacco products
WEST VIRGINIA: (HEADS UP!) Senate has passed a bill that would deny early ADULT #smokers & #vapers access to the much safer alternative #vaping & #smokefree products that could actually eliminate #smoking.
WV Senate OKs bill to raise minimum tobacco use age to 21
IN THE NEWS: Despite fact that 18-20 year-olds make up less than 2% of #tobacco sales, FDA head Scott Gottlieb (classifying #vaping products as “tobacco”) says reducing 18 y/o vape dealers would help him fight alleged “youth epidemic.”
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb backs raising the minimum age for tobacco to 21
MARIETTA, GEORGIA: (HEADS UP!) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders (or any other sound justification,) officials move to ban #vaping & #smokefree use OUTDOORS in parks & on sidewalks (complain of “smoke rooms on our sidewalks” that THEIR indoor ban created.)
Marietta considers new bans on vaping, smoking
PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK: (HEADS UP!) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders or necessity of intervention, City proposes banning use AND POSSESSION of #vaping products on ANY public property, including OUTDOOR SPACES like parks and sidewalks.
Ban on e-cigs up for comment
IN THE NEWS: (NEW JERSEY) Despite of the fact that it’s already illegal to sell #vaping products to anyone under 21, order to “protect youth,” lawmaker proposes punishment for possession by turning them (and ADULTS 18-20 years old) into petty criminals.
https://bit.ly/2T7qa8g
JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA: (HEADS UP!) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders (or any other sound justification,) officials move to prohibit business owners from allowing #vaping in their own property AND even use OUTDOORS on public property.
https://bit.ly/2Vo6Lg8
COLORADO: (UPDATE) Without any evidence of risk to bystanders or necessity shown, bill to ban #vaping where #smoking is prohibited, prohibiting business owners from allowing #vaping in own property & removing important incentive to switch CLEARS COMMITTEE.
https://cbsloc.al/2VtoMK8
OREGON: (HEADS UP!) House Bill 2123 expands the state’s definition of tobacco products to include #vaping products while House Bill 2159 would establish an outrageous 95% tax, discouraging use of products at least 95% safer than smoking. No hearings yet scheduled.
https://bit.ly/2XvbHBV
This article was originally published at CASAA
Author: KNoll-Marsh