Last June, San Francisco’s supervisors approved a total e-cig ban in a unanimous preliminary vote. “We spent the 90s battling big tobacco, and now we see its new form in e-cigarettes,” said supervisor Shamann Walton. “This is about thinking about the next generation of users and thinking about protecting the overall health and sending a message to the rest of the state and the country: follow our lead,” added supervisor Ahsha Safaí.
There are a few months left before the ban comes into effect and there is at least one attempt to overturn it underway. However if things remain unchanged, the total e-cigarette ban will go into full effect in January next year.
The Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation
“We are strongly supporting these efforts, as part of the growing Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation, to enact strict new regulation and enforcement instead of a ban for all adults that will fuel a black market for vapor products and the increased use of deadly cigarettes.”
To this effect, last month Juul Labs donated $3 million to the Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation. The organization was established in May to combat the first-of-its-kind total e-cig sales ban. Last week, the coalition reported the latest infusion in a filing to the San Francisco Ethics Commission, bringing Juul’s total contributions for the year up to $4.5 million. The coalition’s communications director, Nate Allbee, told Forbes that the money will be funding a traditional campaign which will include advertisements and canvassing.
Juul spokesperson, Ted Kwong, spoke in support of the coalition. “We are strongly supporting these efforts, as part of the growing Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation, to enact strict new regulation and enforcement instead of a ban for all adults that will fuel a black market for vapor products and the increased use of deadly cigarettes,” he said in a statement.
The campaign, which took out a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle last week, is emphasising that halting the e-cig ban would not reverse the flavor ban. “Cigarettes kill 8 million people a year,” stated the ad. “They shouldn’t stay on the shelf while e-cigarettes are banned. It’s just a gift to cigarette makers. Instead, let’s further restrict e-cigarette sales and marketing to youth, and keep the City’s existing flavored e-cigarette ban.”
Read Further: Forbes
San Francisco’s E-Cig Ban Would be the Greatest Gift to Big Tobacco
