Reason Foundation’s Policy Analyst Jacob Rich joins The Heartland Institute’s State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss Reason’s latest Policy Study Does Menthol Cigarette Distribution Affect Child or Adult Cigarette Use?

In this episode, Jacob and Lindsey discuss the results of the study, specifically noting that Reason’s analysis found states with “more menthol cigarette consumptions relative to all cigarettes have lower rates of child smoking.” The findings of the study are included into a broader discussion on menthol bans and their effects on cigarette consumption and other policy implications.

You can find Reason’s study here.  You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @jacobjamesrich and at jacobrich.com.   

In 2017, over 420 New Hampshire residents died due to an opioid overdose. Further, the epidemic has cost the New Hampshire economy $6.6 billion between 1999 and 2015.

To address the issue, New Hampshire State Representative has introduced House Bill 1563 which would reform the state’s criminal asset forfeiture laws. Under the proposed bill, proceeds that are seized after a criminal conviction would be dispersed to a Governor’s council to use to fund medication, rehabilitation and other programs to address the opioid epidemic.

Rep. Spillane discusses his legislation, its importance and the battle it may face in the 2020 session. Rep. Spillane also highlights what can be expected from New Hampshire in this year’s session. You can track the legislation here. You can contact Rep. Spillane at [email protected]

Bill Wikstrom, president of the Mississippi Vaping Advocacy Association joins The Heartland Institute’s State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss Mississippi’s recent 2019 gubernatorial election and vaping issues in the Magnolia state. Wikstrom is a retried combat veteran and owns two companies including 13 vape shops and an e-liquid distribution company.
 
 Stroud and Wikstrom discuss the election results, including the impact of vapers turning out to the polls, as well as the current e-cigarette regulations in Mississippi, the Mississippi Vaping Advocacy Association, and what to expect in 2020. You can find more information about the Mississippi Vaping Advocacy Association at msvaa.org.

In this episode of Voices of Vapers, Marc Slis joins State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss the latest out of Michigan Gov. Whitmer banned flavors in nicotine-containing e-cigarettes in September. Slis is a 55-year-old father of three who smoked for 41 years and in 2014 "wandered" into a vape shop and effectively quit smoking. Slis would later buy that same vape shop and has helped 1,000 other people quit smoking. 
 
Slis and Stroud discuss Gov. Whitmer's executive order, his subsequent lawsuit in which a judge issued a temporary restraining order on the ban, and legislation that has been introduced by Representatives Johnson and LeFave. Slis also chats about Michigan Vape Shop Owners (MVSO). MVSO is a trade group, representing manufacturers and brick and mortar vape shops throughout Michigan that have come together to work for sensible legislation, to keep vaping safe and legal in Michigan. You can find more information at mymvso.org

In this episode of Voices of Vapers, Matt Culley joins The Heartland Institute’s State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss a recently proposed flavor ban in Montana.

Culley, quit smoking seven years ago after being diagnosed with oral cancer. Culley and Stroud discuss his journey, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s recent vaping ban and address the media fearmongering surrounding vaping-related hospitalizations, which are being linked to the use of black market vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

You can find Culley’s YouTube page here.

Stefan Didak, founder of Not Blowing Smoke, and currently operating the public affairs firm Ignyter joins State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss the history of flavor bans in California, LA’s recent flavor ban and how these have spread to other states, including Michigan, New York and Rhode Island.

Stefan and Lindsey talk about solutions to the issue of youth use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, how “Big Tobacco” did not create vaping products as a gimmick to attract kids, what to expect in the coming months and the consequences of inaction.

You can contact Stefan on Facebook and Twitter.

Gregory Conley is an attorney in New Jersey and president of the American Vaping Association (AVA). The AVA is a nonprofit advocacy organization that champions the use of vapor products and electronic cigarettes to help smokers quit. AVA has testified in over a dozen states and localities, on behalf of vapor products and his work has been featured in in outlets in several countries and Greg has spoken at dozens of conferences and conventions

Conley joins Heartland State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss the various legislative actions that happened across the states in 2019, including taxes and banning flavors. The two then address the recent media alarmism concerning vaping-related hospitalizations, which are continuing to be linked to black market vaping products. 

You can find out more information about the American Vaping Association at www.vaping.org. 

Paul Blamire is a major vaping advocate in Australia. Paul helps educate people in his own country and the United States on the major health effects of vaping. A former 30 year smoker, Paul first tried vaping in 2014. Since then, Paul has created his own e-liquid line and is a major contributor to the do-it-yourself community. The do-it-yourself community is useful for countries like Australia, as their regulations on liquid nicotine are even more restrictive than the United States’.

Paul joins The Heartland Institute’s State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to discuss vaping in Australia, the impacts of Australian law on other countries and what we can expect for the future of tobacco harm reduction. You can find more information at Legalise Vaping Australia and the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (AHTRA).

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of capitalism, striking down a Tennessee statute which essentially discriminated against non-residents by requiring liquor store retailers to be residents of the state for two years prior to obtaining a retailer liquor permit, and to be a resident for 10 years in order to renew their liquor license.

Anya Bidwell is an attorney at the Institute for Justice and litigates cases to protect and promote economic, speech, and property rights. Anya was also an attorney on Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Russell F. Thomas, in which the Supreme Court struck down Tennessee’s residency law.

Anya joins the podcast to discuss the case, its reliance on the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, and the effects the ruling with have on other state’s regulatory statutes.

For more information on IJ and Anya’s work, you can visit https://ij.org/. You can find more information about Short Circuit here, and their podcast and newsletter. To reach Anya directly, email [email protected].

In this episode of Voices of Vapers, Stefan Didak joins Heartland’s State Government Relations Manager Lindsey Stroud to talk about what is going down in California. Stefan has recently founded THR Policy and was the president and founder of NOT Blowing Smoke. Stefan started the organization as an educational resource and inadvertently became involved in legislative efforts surrounding vaping products including taxes, regulations, tobacco 21, and flavor bans.

Stefan talks about California, from its ever-changing tax schematic and the various localities passing flavor bans, San Francisco’s push to ban e-cigarettes but not combustible cigarettes, and the hypocrisy of governments subsidizing nicotine in nicotine replacement therapy, but banning e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

You find more information about THR Policy at http://thrpolicy.com. You can find Stefan on Facebook and Twitter.