Confusion reigns over the apparent soon to be announced US total flavour ban as a possible chink of light appears from the Trump administration.
One of President Trumps’ advisors has hinted flavours would be removed from all convenience stores and left for sale in vape shops.
Though after watching Trump’s spokeswoman, Kellyanne Conway, burbling on about vaping and e-cigarettes – you are left scratching your head and wondering do they even know what they’re banning!
Think I’m being overly dramatic?
Watch this total train wreck of an interview with the lady who’s worryingly looking like the point person on a topic that could and will affect the lives of millions:
One word..HUH?
Forget her absolute confusion about vaping not being the same as e-cigarettes – which she describes as smoking tobacco…
It’s her overly dramatic summing up of the apparent crisis among kids that vape with the issue apparently now centered on mint and menthol flavours:
I think the only thing that’s really changed from [first lady Melania Trump’s] initial tweet on Sept. 9 is that the data are much more harrowing and concerning than we would have expected.
But the demarcation is really kids and adults. And we’re very focused on a burgeoning health crisis among kids.
The differences between kids and adults, and I think the [Journal of the American Medical Association] made clear, kids report they use mint and other flavors like mango, bubble gum, tooty fruity, unicorn milk, pretty remarkable, and that they don’t care for menthol, which of course many smokers — I’m not one — say tastes like tobacco.
This is a burgeoning health crisis; the difference is between kids and adults.
So HHS and FDA have jurisdiction over cigarettes and e-cigarettes under the Tobacco Control Act.
They do not have jurisdiction over vaping and vape shops, for example.
So, if we’re talking about e-cigarettes, the president, yes, he’s been discussing this with his team and he will, or HHS, will make an announcement soon.
Again that word…HUH??!!
She hasn’t got a clue which, like I said, is extremely worrying – if not downright frightening to say the least.
True to form any suggestion of Trump pulling back from a complete ban – now to include mint and menthol flavours, has led to the anti-vape brigade screaming from the rooftops – the usual war-cry come mantra – “what about the children!!!”
A powerful, if a little crazy, group of anti-vaping organizations has called on Trump to hold his nerve and ban flavours outright.
The Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids has issued a statement which opens with:
As organizations committed to protecting the health of our nation’s children, we are alarmed by reports that the Trump Administration may be further backing away from its plan to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes and may be considering allowing the continued sale of flavored e-cigarettes in vape shops.
This follows reports that the Administration is considering exempting menthol e-cigarettes from its proposal.
We strongly urge the Administration to implement its original plan, announced on September 11, to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol, and to apply this policy to all brick-and-mortar and online retailers, including vape shops.
If menthol or any other flavors are left on the market, the evidence indicates that kids will move to the remaining flavors. If vape shops are allowed to continue selling flavored e-cigarettes, kids will find ways to obtain them.
I call absolute BS…
9 Million Vapers Hold the Key To 2020 Presidential Election
Trump is now well aware he’s opened up a can of worms taking on vaping.
With 9million vapers in America and many of them in key swing states – his advisors are worried any vape ban would have a devastating impacts on his hopes for a second term.
The excellent Paul Blair’s tweet breaks down just how key the vapers vote will be in the so called battleground states:
We have some new data on the potential number of adult vapers in every single one of the 17 battleground states being targeted by @realDonaldTrump @parscale in 2020, as estimated by recent @GallupNews. The data shows that there are 9.2 million vapers in these states. A THREAD…
— Paul Blair 🚬 (@gopaulblair) November 4, 2019
As you can see the #WeVapeWeVote campaign will have a major impact on who could be the next president of the United States!
Paul told reporters:
My hope is that this is an acknowledgement that vape shops should continue to exist and sell reduced-risk nicotine products to adult smokers
If there is an exemption for vape shops, I think the administration has acknowledged the political and policy importance of preserving vaping for adults.
Let’s hope so!
On hearing the news the White House might be backing away from a total flavour ban, Gregory Conely, president of the American Vaping Association, said:
We are hopeful but not entirely certain, that Conway’s statement signals that adult only environments like vape shops will be exempt from the FDA’s flavour ban guidance.
Limiting the ability of adults to access flavoured vaping products is far from an ideal outcome, but ultimately any kind of sales restriction is better than an all out prohibition for adult vape consumers and small businesses.
It is possible Conway is confused about what vape shops are and what they sell.
Vape shops are not head shops or tobacco shops, these are small businesses that focus on selling flavoured nicotine products to adult smokers looking to quit.
The nicotine containing vaping products and devices they sell are under FDA jurisdiction.
Let’s hope when the clouds clear Trump will do the right thing…
As always we’ll keep you informed on what is a developing if a little confusing story.
