CASAA Call to Action: URGENT Duluth, MN e-cigarette use ban and licensing TONIGHT!

[kristin]

​

[full text of 13-058-0] [full text 13-059-0] [full text 13-060-0]

If enacted, these ordinances would:

• Prohibit the use of e-cigarettes outdoors: within 100 feet of the property line of any medical facility; anywhere smoking is prohibited per state law; within 15 feet of bus shelters; On the Lakewalk, on Lake Place or in public parks, any public area not designated for smoking in Wade Stadium
• Require a tobacco license to sell e-cigarettes
• Prohibit the use of of e-cigarettes within a licensed e-cigarette or tobacco store
• Ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors

[Agenda]
The City Council meeting takes place at 7: 00 PM (Central) tonight at Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall 411 West First Street, Duluth, Minnesota. This is a first reading and there will not be a vote tonight, however, members of the public that wish to comment may sign up to speak at the meeting when they arrive.


If you can attend this meeting or plan to attend the future meeting regarding this ordinance, please contact CASAA at board@casaa.org with the subject line "Duluth, MN testimony"

---

Please call or write the members of the Duluth City Council listed below.

What to say:
1. You would like them to amend the ordinance to ONLY ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.

2. Tell your story on how switching to an e-cigarette has changed your life.

3. Explain how smoking bans are enacted to protect the public from the harm of secondhand smoke, but e-cigarettes have not been shown to cause harm to bystanders. In fact, all evidence to date shows that the low health risks associated with e-cigarettes is comparable to other smokeless nicotine products.

The low risks of e-cigarettes is supported by research done by Dr. Igor Burstyn of Drexel University, Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth, Dr Maciej L Goniewicz of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand and by the fact that the FDA testing, in spite of its press statement, failed to find harmful levels of carcinogens or toxic levels of any chemical in the vapor.

4. Detail how electronic cigarette use is easy to distinguish from actual smoking. Although some e-cigarettes resemble real cigarettes, many do not. It is easy to tell when someone lights a cigarette, from the smell of smoke. E-cigarette vapor is practically odorless, and generally any detectable odor is not unpleasant and smells nothing like smoke. Additionally, e-cigarette users can decide whether to release any vapor ("stealth vaping"). With so little evidence of use, enforcing indoor use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.

5. If you are a Minnesota resident and currently vape in public, talk about your experience. Do businesses you frequent allow you to vape? What about your office? Be sure to include your address and full name.

6. Inform them that the ability to use electronic cigarettes in public spaces will actually improve public health by inspiring other smokers to switch. Surveys of thousands of users indicate that the majority of those who switch, completely replace tobacco cigarettes with the electronic cigarettes, reducing their health risks by 98-99%.

7. Tell them how important it is that smokers be allowed to try out e-cigarettes before they purchase them, so banning sampling in e-cigarette stores would discourage smokers from switching.

8. Tell them that by switching to a smokeless product, you have greatly reduced your health risks.

9. Direct them to the CASAA.org website for more information.

---

Duluth City Council

Sponsors: Councilors Julsrud and Krug
Jennifer Julsrud
First Council District (Precincts 1-7)
4920 Woodlawn Street
Duluth MN 55804
(218) 525-2409
E-mail: jjulsrud@duluthmn.gov

Linda Krug-2013 City Council Vice President
Councilor At Large
P.O. Box 92
Duluth MN 55801
(218) 310-1628
E-mail: lkrug@duluthmn.gov

Patrick Boyle - 2013 City Council President
Second Council District (Precincts 8-13)
2201 East First Street
Duluth MN 55812
(218) 728-4185
E-mail: pboyle@duluthmn.gov
Committee of the Whole Chairperson

Jay Fosle
Fifth Council District (Precincts 28-34)
323-103rd Avenue West
Duluth MN 55808
(218) 626-3584
E-mail: jfosle@duluthmn.gov
Public Safety Committee Chairperson

Sharla Gardner
Third Council District (Precincts 14-20)
411 West First Street, Room 330
Duluth MN 55802
(218) 730-5353
E-mail: sgardner@duluthmn.gov
Personnel Committee Chairperson

Dan Hartman
Councilor at Large
2321 East Eighth Street
Duluth MN 55812
(218) 310-5356
E-mail: dhartman@duluthmn.gov

Garry Krause
Fourth Council District (Precincts 21-27)
1220 Stanford Avenue
Duluth MN 55811
(218) 727-2790
E-mail: gkrause@duluthmn.gov

Emily Larson
Councilor At Large
1331 East 11th Street
Duluth MN 55805
(218) 730-5352
E-mail: elarson@duluthmn.gov

Jim Stauber
Councilor at Large
130 Carlisle Avenue
Duluth MN 55803
(218) 724-1768
E-mail: jstauber@duluthmn.gov

Comma deliminated list: jjulsrud@duluthmn.gov, lkrug@duluthmn.gov, pboyle@duluthmn.gov, jfosle@duluthmn.gov, sgardner@duluthmn.gov, dhartman@duluthmn.gov, gkrause@duluthmn.gov, elarson@duluthmn.gov, jstauber@duluthmn.gov

 

[Bill Godshall]

Didn't intend to create a second thread on the Duluth legislation, as I was drafting my post at the same time Kristin posted this alert from CASAA.

 

[The Dingo]

I'm not sure if it'll make a difference (since I'm not a resident of MN), but here is the letter I sent to all the City Council members that are listed above.
The one I sent had some bold face, italics, and underlining that made it more visually appealing and (I hope) will drive some points home, but you get the idea.

Feel free to plagaurize...plaugarize...plauguarize...OH HECK, take whatever you want from it!

As a former tobacco user, I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposed ordinances and amendments (13-058-0; 13-059-0; 13-060-0).

I’d like to start by saying that in NO way am I in favor of allowing minors to purchase or use personal vaporizers (or, ‘electronic cigarettes,’ as they have come to be known). So, I urge all of you to vote to amend the ordinances ONLY insofar as to ban the sale of these devices and e-liquid to minors.

I smoked for ten years before I quit for the first time. After twelve years of being tobacco-free, I returned to the habit of smoking cigarettes. Two years ago, I discovered the relatively new product on the market known as ‘electronic cigarettes.’

After two weeks of using both traditional cigarettes and my e-cigs, I quit smoking tobacco entirely. Since then, my blood pressure has returned to a level similar to that of someone who has never smoked, my lung capacity has increased by 20%, I no longer get ‘winded’ when walking up a flight of stairs, and I tell you without any hesitation, that my overall quality of life has improved substantially thanks to these devices. I have even spoken to my doctor about this and he has told me he could not be happier that I quit smoking. I am not alone.

Understandably, there has been concern over the health effects of ‘second-hand vapor’ on bystanders. Admittedly, this has not had nearly the same amount of attention as second-hand smoke. It has not gone entirely unstudied, however. Please refer to CASAA.org and the plethora of scientists referenced at the end of this letter. The ingredients that are in e-liquid can also be found in many food as well as mouthwash, toothpaste, and asthma inhalers.

While many electronic cigarettes resemble the ‘real thing,’ most do not. Many personal vaporizers (PV’s) are very easily distinguishable from tobacco cigarettes. During use, the distinction is even more apparent since there is no smoke and very little odor. Any faint odor that does remain is not unpleasant…in fact, it is significantly less noxious than most perfumes and colognes.

In addition, the ability of PV users to ‘stealth vape’ will make enforcement of an e-cig ban nearly, if not entirely, impossible. ‘Stealth vaping’ is a vaping ‘technique’ where the user holds their breath until the ‘vapor’ that they exhale is virtually non-existent.

Banning the public use of electronic cigarettes (PV’s) will be detrimental to public health. By using my personal vaporizer in public, I have piqued the curiosity of countless smokers. By educating them through thoughtful dialog, I have inspired many of them to quit or, at least, reduce the amount that they smoke. Several have later come to me to tell me how happy they were that they asked me about that ‘strange thing’ I had been using. In addition, surveys of thousands of ‘vapers’ continue to indicate that the vast majority who switch have completely replaced their tobacco habit with electronic cigarettes, thereby reducing the risk of harm a proven 98-99%. Even the Food and Drug Administration, despite their initial statement, failed to provide sufficient evidence that there are any detrimental side effects to users or bystanders as a result of using these devices.

One of the proposed amendments addresses the legality of dedicated electronic cigarette stores to allow sampling of their devices and e-liquids. From my own personal experience, I am sure that by disallowing this practice, you would essentially discourage potential vapers from kicking the tobacco habit. The ability to try out various liquids and/or devices is a large part of the conversion from tobacco.

It has been asserted that e-liquid flavors (other than tobacco-flavored) will undeniably and automatically lead to an increase in minors using electronic cigarettes. This, quite simply, is not true. Due to the cost of the device, and the nature of how it is used, I feel (and experience as well as common sense tells us) that it is significantly more likely that a minor would sneak and take some traditional cigarettes from their parents (and get ‘hooked’ that way) than it is for him/her to sneak a personal vaporizer and the necessary e-liquid from his or her parents. Sneaking a few cigarettes from my mother’s pack is, in fact, how I started smoking tobacco at age 16. Please do NOT provide our children the chance to steal cigarettes from their parents who, because of overly strict regulation, were essentially forced to return to smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. Instead, ensuring that age restrictions are enforced (similar to those for alcoholic beverages) is a more viable option than unnecessarily restricting the use of electronic cigarettes.

Please feel free to contact me via return email. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about using the device that saved my life.

Thank you for your time,

References
Dr. Igor Burstyn Drexel University
Dr. Siegel Boston University
Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth
Dr. Maciej Goniewiecz of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Food and Drug Administration – who recently failed to provide sufficient evidence of any detrimental health effects from using or being a bystander in proximity to these devices.
CASAA.org

 

[The Dingo]

I just got a response from the Council Vice President and Councilor at Large asking if I'm a resident of Duluth, MN.
I guess my efforts were a waste of time since I'm not...