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Home » Coalition of Users: What to Expect from the Pro-Vape Lobby at a local SIPP Hearing

Coalition of Users: What to Expect from the Pro-Vape Lobby at a local SIPP Hearing

On Tuesday, July 21st I provided testimony to the Snohomish County Board of Health at a Public Hearing on applying Smoking In Public Places (SIPP) regulations to e-cigarettes.

The SIPP regulations passed by Washington voters in 2005 prohibit smoking in all restaurants and bars, and also require all indoor workplaces to be smoke-free. King, Pierce, Grant and Clark County have each adopted rules that apply SIPP to vaping.

Held at Everett Community College, the event wasn't well publicized until our regional newspaper, the Daily Herald, ran an article – one day before the hearing – that generated fairly intense public interest. “Increase in vaping sparks consideration of rules” quickly earned “hot topic” status with nearly 200 comments.

I arrived at the hearing early to ensure I could sign-up to comment. When it was my turn to speak, I read from a prepared statement aligned with the University of Washington’s white paper, “E-Cigarettes: Evidence and Policy Options for Washington State.” Although less personal than speaking from the heart, reading from a prepared statement allowed me to:

  1. Touch on all of the points that I thought were important for the Board to consider;
  2. Provide a written copy of my statement and data analysis to the Board; and
  3. Have extra copies available for hearing participants who were interested in my testimony.

As a result of providing comment, the Monroe Community Coalition made two important contacts in our effort to reduce e-cigarette availability to youth: State Representative Gerry Pollet from the 46th Legislative District, the primary sponsor of Governor Inslee’s requested e-cigarette bill, HB 1645; and Dr. Margaret Shield, the Health Policy Analyst for the Snohomish Health District.

Representative Pollet was one of the hearing participants who wanted a copy of my testimony; he has already distributed it to his “circle of local and state public health and advocacy folks coordinating on legislation.” Dr. Shield has asked to attend an upcoming coalition meeting and may prove to be a valuable partner as we walk out our environmental strategies.

The Pro-Vape Lobby

I was very surprised by the coordinated effort of Vape Industry Lobbyists who provided testimony at the hearing. Most had travelled from outside of Snohomish County. All of them had nearly identical testimony. If your County or municipality holds a SIPP hearing, here’s what you can expect.

  • The Vape Industry Lobbyists who provided testimony in Snohomish County were an organized group of entrepreneurs who owned vape stores or created and sold e-juices.
  1. They are networked through a community of vape associations, blogs, websites and social media platforms, so expect them to show up in large numbers. They are a coalition of users.
  • They provided powerful personal testimony about how vaping saved their life, and about how they, in turn, have become dedicated to saving the lives of others.
  1. As far as emotional appeals go, they have it down. Their testimony included stories about improving cholesterol and CO2 numbers; increased mobility; improving general health; and showing pictures and telling the stories of patrons who were unable to attend the hearing.
  2. They literally describe themselves in the context of cessation counselors, helping ailing smokers to make the switch from cigarettes to vape devices.
  • They are steadfast in maintaining the safety of e-cigarettes, making many claims that have not been supported by data.
  1. They speak like the issue of e-cigarette safety is a matter of settled science.
  2. They deny the harm of nicotine outside of the combustible cigarette.
  3. (It is important to remember that most Boards of Public Health are comprised of local elected officials without a public health background.)
  • They each described themselves as a last line of defense against Big Tobacco products, indicating that regulation will drive them out of business and allow Big Tobacco to dominate the e-cigarette market in Washington State.
  1. They universally indicated they are in favor of reasonable regulations that keep kids away from vaping. “Reasonable” does not include restricting sampling, increasing taxes, requiring special licensure or imposing advertising restrictions.
  2. They indicated that self-regulation has already been effective at keeping e-cigarettes out the hands of youth.
  3. They say the youth who are using e-cigarettes have made the switch from combustible cigarettes, or would have become combustible cigarette users.

Universal Testimony Trajectory of the Pro-Vape Lobby

“I was a significantly health-impacted smoker. Making the switch to e-cigarettes saved my life. I would never have switched if I couldn’t have sampled e-cigarettes and flavors first. I could never have become a successful e-cigarette user without the guidance and technical assistance of a shop owner. Now I save lives. We’re all about health, so we favor regulations that keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids, as long as those regulations don’t impact price or the ability to sample our products. Down with Big Tobacco.”

Are you ready?

Contact information and resources

I am the Coordinator of the Monroe Community Coalition. Visit us online at www.monroecommunitycoalition.com. If you found this blog entry helpful or informative, shoot me an email at neigelj@monroe.wednet.edu.

You can also download a copy of my testimony here.

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