Access to FLAVORED vaping products in Rhode Island is under direct attack! Governor Mckee is considering legislation that would eliminate virtually all flavored vapes from the market and make it impossible for YOU to continue legally buying vape products.
What can be done? We need you to TAKE ACTION TODAY. Send a message to your state representative with the form on the right and we will take care of the rest. Raise your voice!&nbsp;
Thanks for helping us save flavored vapes in Rhode Island!&nbsp;&nbsp;

YOUR FAVORITE FLAVORED VAPES ARE ABOUT TO BE BANNED IN RHODE ISLAND HELP US TAKE ACTION TO STOP THE BAN!

I am writing as a voter, taxpayer, and your constituent in Rhode Island urging you to support S.543, which would allow specialty vape shops to sell vapor products in flavors other than tobacco. Rhode Island banned the sale of these products in 2019 by executive order and codified the prohibition in 2020. Despite prior warnings, the harmful consequences of this policy have become clear. Researchers have found that following the ban, sales of cigarettes increased 4.6%, which equates to sales of approximately 1.7 million additional packs of cigarettes. This is the opposite of the intent of the flavor ban and other policies targeting people who are quitting smoking.

Moreover, Rhode Island’s ban on flavored vapor products is fueling a growing illicit market for nicotine. Banning flavored vapor products has not stopped their use but instead pushed sales underground, where there is no quality control, age verification, or oversight. This creates unnecessary risks for consumers and fails to protect young people. Flavor bans in Rhode Island and across the country have failed to prevent youth experimentation with nicotine or other substances and have created predictable and avoidable public health risks.

Supporting the exemption for vape shops in S.543 will allow responsible small businesses in Rhode Island to provide these lifesaving products to adults who are switching away from cigarettes. Allowing vape shops to fully serve their communities will improve public health, generate revenue for the state, and support tens of thousands of Ocean Staters who want to quit smoking.

I urge you to stand with public health, small businesses, and adult consumers by supporting S.543. Rhode Island has an opportunity to correct course and adopt a more effective, evidence-based approach to tobacco harm reduction. I, along with my fellow members of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA), thank you for considering my comments on this issue. Please know that the vaping community is your ally in improving public health, addressing concerns about youth use, and we are open to working toward a positive way forward. I look forward to your response on this issue and I am available for any questions you might have.

HELP SAVE VAPES IN RHODE ISLAND

YOUR FAVORITE FLAVORED VAPES ARE ABOUT TO BE BANNED IN RHODE ISLAND HELP US TAKE ACTION TO STOP THE BAN!

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