Electronic Cigarettes Debated At Legislature in Hawaii

The proposed bill to ban electronic cigarettes to minors and impose a 70% tax rate is under intense debate.  Here are a few excerpts:

State Health Department Director Loretta Fuddy told members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, “There is very little known about the long term health effects of the use of e-cigarettes or the vapors given off. Recent studies have shown that within one liquid nicotine cartridge there is enough nicotine to cause serious illness or even death.”

And a very well proposed counter:

Cory Smith, president of local retailer Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarettes, said the product actually helps tobacco smokers quit their habits and produces none of the second-hand smoke issues associated with traditional tobacco cigarettes.

“The tohacco tax is aimed at  deterring tobacco use and  generating revenue to pay for health care costs associated with tobacco-related harms,” Smith said.

“Since the research thus far indicates that e-cigarettes show promise as a means to  deter tobacco use and thereby reduce the cost of  tobacco-related harms, it makes no sense to subject e-cigarettes to the tobacco tax,” Smith said.

Taxing e-cigarettes at the 70% tobacco rate would shut down his business and drive customers to the internet to obtain the devices from out-of-state sources, he said.

“The general cost of a fully-functioning electronic cigarette kit is upwards of  $70,” Smith testified. “Levying a 70’% tax on all of these items would virtually guarantee that purchasers will go out of state, or, worse yet, return to tobacco cigarettes.”

And,  the argument to that:

But Health Director Fuddy said more scientific study must be undertaken of e-cigarettes.

“We don’t feel that from a Department of Health perspective that the science is really in yet. This is a rather new product,” she said.

Also testifying in favor of the measure were the state Tax Department, Honolulu Police Department and various health organizations including the American Cancer Society and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii.

Coalition executive director Deborah Zsyman told the committee that some sales of e-cigarettes appear aimed at under-aged customers.

“Often the cartridges are candy flavored, making them enticing to youth.   Currently, they are readily available at mall kiosks and small shops throughout our state and are priced as low as $10 for the disposable varieties,” said Zsyman.

The coalition’s concerns about e-cigarettes center on sales to minors and on the lack of scientific evidence on the health effects of the devices.

“I think if we find there’s evidence that this is really a product that is safe and  does help people quit smoking, then, yes, we’d be supportive of it,” she said.

Both well voiced arguments.  But the analogy that they would rather the ship full of regular cigarette smokers is sinking and a possible life raft in the form of electronic cigarettes is now handy for those passengers, they’d rather let the passengers stay on the sinking ship than allow them to switch to the raft.

Banning the from minors is, of course, the right thing to do.  No one is arguing that.  But, if the tax goes into place, are they ok with people switching back to cigarettes?

Now, the flavors they argue that are targeted to kids, has anyone researched this?  Are these flavors that adult buyers have requested?  I know I, as an e-cig user prefer Coffee flavor over menthol, that I use to smoke for 19 years in regular cigarettes.  Arguably there may be a fey that are using unsavory methods and those people should be stopped.  No one should entice kids or non-smokers to these products.

But, if this bill passes, a USA based company will go under: wolcanocigs.com is based in Hawaii and will not be able to withstand the 70% tax law.  If this is imposed on more states, similar companies will go under, because we, as e-cig users, can simply by them from over-seas, mainly the UK.

Why don’t we get the studies in place.  Is second-hand vapor bad for people around them?  Just because we can’t smell it, doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful.  Can we answer real questions and not worry about how much money somebody is making?

In short, taxing electronic cigarettes before anyone can prove they are dangerous is as bad as allowing regular cigarettes, that kills smokers and non-smokers alike, to still sell in the billions that they do.

If electronic cigarettes prove dangerous, I will one of the first to ask for more aggressive actions to be taken.  Lets not destroy more american businesses before all the evidence is in.

Read the article here from HawaiiReporter.com.