Vapers push back on bans

The WSJ reports that former tobacco smokers and some public health experts are leading a backlash against vaping bans and restrictions on access, saying the actions could lead to a black market in vaping products and an increase in tobacco smoking as nicotine addicts who have no alternatives return to riskier habits.

Cigarette smoking is linked to 480K American deaths each year, but recent deaths and respiratory problems associated with vaping, albeit low in number, have led to quick action from some authorities aimed principally at containing surging youth use.

Since the CDC’s warning on September 7, U.S. e-cigarette use has fallen 18% according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Credit Suisse.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar recently announced a plan to remove all sweet, mint, menthol and fruit-flavored vaping liquids off the market since they appeal to kids (although the White House is mulling a less-drastic approach). Only those products that taste like tobacco would remain. Several states have adopted similar measures. Analysts are projecting an uptick in cigarette consumption as a result.

Some small business owners, vapers and others have taken to the streets in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois and New York to protest the proposed actions, claiming that flavored e-liquids helped them quit their tobacco habits. New York University College of Global Public Health’s Dave Abrams says research has shown that adult smokers who switched to vaping attributed their success to forgetting the smell and taste of cigarettes.

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll of 1,025 adults found that 52% supported banning flavors and 49% in favor of an outright moratorium on vaping.

The debate and controversy will certainly continue as more data come in about e-cig risk.

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