They might be a little late and are really up against it but at least one American advocacy group has launched the fight to Save the Vape over in the US.
As I touched on in last week’s Vaping News – the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA) has launched the campaign planning to take the pro vaping fight to both the US Government and indeed the Food and Drugs Administration – the FDA.
Thanks to an absolute avalanche of bad and sometimes fake publicity about the so called ‘vaping epidemic’ among youngsters across the pond – FDA Commissioner Scott Gottleib has pretty much done a 180 on his feeling towards vaping. His arrival as the FDA supremo was at first a sign that America was finally about to embrace the vape – indeed he rolled back some legislation on vaping products and as a former investor in a vape company and cancer survivor – he seemed the perfect fit.
However the JUUL controversy fueled in the media and in the political arena by ignorant politicians looking for a soundbite has forced his hand and he’s come out all guns blazing. The sea-change came with e-liquid flavour bans in San Francisco – threats for bans in other states as well as claims of rampant under-age sales leading to Gottleib saying enough is enough.
The FDA has already raided the offices of JUUL and sent warning letters to 21 major vaping companies and just this week Gottleib announced he was taking a closer look at pod kits in general.
“It’s Do Or Die Time”
Worrying times over there for sure and as I wrote in my article The Only Vaping Epidemic In America Is Apathy Idiocy and Stupidity – the silence from the US based advocacy groups was deafening! Enter SFATA and Save the Vape.
SFATA Executive Director Mark Anton said at the launch of the campaign:
Millions of dollars are being spent to eliminate vaping. This is do-or-die time right now. Vapers are an endangered species, and they are counting on us to speak out for them.
So if we do not get the accurate story out to legislators, to industry participants, and to the millions of people who have used vaping to quit smoking, we’ll be regulated and taxed out of existence.
‘Save The Vape’ will help us counter the forces that are trying to put us out of business.
That may sound a little dramatic but trust me the mood change from the FDA in particular is worrying not only for US vapers but the rest of the world…if the ban slams on anything vape related in the US the knock on effect could be dramatic for the rest of us.
How To Get Involved With Save the Vape
The Save the Vape campaign is planning a nationwide blitz of print and TV ads – exposure on all social media platforms and a line of merchandise to swell the battle coffers for the fight ahead.
Mark called on the vaping industry and wider vape community as well as – worldwide YouTube reviewers – vape influencers – vape models and insiders to get behind the campaign and help raise much needed funds.
He said:
We are fighting a battle for survival against the many forces that want to kill the vapor industry, because they have been misinformed about the health risk-reduction properties of these products.
We must get accurate information out there, to legislators, to the industry, and to the general public who are not hearing the whole story.
To get involved – and you really should – head over to the Save the Vape website now to find out more.
