“
WE ARE OPPOSED TO
CLASSIFYING THESE
PRODUCTS AS TOBACCO.
THERE’S A LOT OF GOOD
DATA THAT SPECIFICALLY
SHOWS THESE
PRODUCTS ARE UP TO 95
PERCENT LESS HARMFUL
THAN TOBACCO.
“
Bill SB 1009 would bring vape products under the rule of the
existing state law, last updated in 2013, which currently prohibits
the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 18. It comes via
Senator-elect Heather Carter of the Republican Party.
She considers current law in the state to be obsolete, failing to
anticipate and adapt to the rise of new products which deliver
nicotine and mirroring the FDA’s rhetoric on underage use:
“If the current statutory language was working, we wouldn’t see
the problem we have today. What we do to prevent underage
individuals from purchasing and using tobacco should be the
same for vaping products.”
Carter also cited the disputed “gateway effect” as a justification:
“Products containing nicotine should be treated like other product
that contain nicotine. Essentially, e-cigarettes, vapes, e-pens – or
whatever else you want to call them – have become the training
wheels to develop future smokers.”
SB 1009 currently has some bi-partisan support, finding co-
sponsors in Senator Kate Brophy McGee (R-Phoenix) and Sean
Bowie, (D-Chandler).
Naturally, the proposal has been met with stiff opposition from the
state’s vape companies and adjacent advocacy groups.
One of the more outspoken critics was Steve Johnson, the
Executive Director of a vape trade association called the Arizona
Smoke Free Business Alliance. Citing recent research, Johnson
said:
“We are opposed to classifying these products as tobacco.
There’s a lot of good data that specifically shows these products
are up to 95 percent less harmful than tobacco.”
Johnson remains in favour of limiting nicotine access to minors,
or anyone else who shouldn’t be using e-cigarettes. He does not
feel such a measure will help minors or smokers.
“It’s long been established that nicotine is not a good thing for
minors, and we want to do whatever we can to keep e-cigarettes
out of the hands of youths …Lumping them together is not the
solution.”
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