WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the American Vaping Association, a leading advocate for the benefits of vapor products such as electronic cigarettes, reacted to the announcement by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) that she and five co-sponsors intend to reintroduce the Stop Marketing and Selling To Our Kids E-Cigarettes Act (“SMOKE Act”) in the U.S. Congress. In a press release touting the bill, Speier alleges that e-cigarette companies are marketing to children.
The SMOKE Act was previously introduced in the 2014 session as H.R.5010. The bill did not receive a committee hearing.
Gregory Conley, President of the American Vaping Association, issued the following statement:
“The House of Representatives should snuff out the SMOKE Act. While Rep. Speier deserves credit for her creative choice of a bill title, the actual text of her bill is a mess. Numerous provisions of the SMOKE Act would not withstand First Amendment scrutiny, and worse, would harm public health by discouraging adult smokers from using vapor products to quit smoking.
“Rep. Speier is wrong about flavors. Emerging evidence continues to show that flavor variability is extremely important to adult smokers looking to quit smoking or substantially reduce their cigarette consumption. Rep. Speier’s baseless attack on the thousands of small businesses in California that sell flavored vapor products to adult consumers should not go unchallenged.
“This bill would absurdly require all vapor products sold in the United States to contain warning labels identical to those required by Congress for cigarettes nearly 50 years ago. Deceiving smokers into believing that smoke-free nicotine products are cancer-causing and will lead to premature death is just plain dishonest.
“California’s 3.5 million-plus adult smokers don’t need grossly inaccurate warning labels or flavor bans. They need truthful information about smoke-free alternatives that can greatly improve their lives.”
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You can learn more about AVA and vaping by visiting the AVA website.
About the American Vaping Association
The American Vaping Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates for fair and sensible regulation of vapor products, otherwise known as electronic cigarettes, with the goal of maximizing the number of adult smokers who use these products to quit smoking. The AVA was founded by Gregory Conley, a consumer and industry advocate with a long track record of advocating for vapor products dating back to 2010.
We are dedicated to educating the public and government officials about public health benefits offered by vapor products, which are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine or nicotine-free solution and create an inhalable vapor. The AVA is not a trade group and does not speak for any particular businesses, including our industry sponsors.
You can learn more about AVA and vaping by visiting the AVA website. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
