(Update 07.06.20)
S. 1253, which would prohibit shipping vapor products through the USPS (just like the ban on mailing cigarettes) was passed by the Senate on July 2, and the text of the amended bill is finally available on congress .gov.
While a significant amendment was adopted that requires an extensive list of research to be completed, the effect of the bill remains the same: No vapor products will be allowed to be shipped via the USPS. This means increased costs to consumers and new barriers to access for law-abiding adults.
At the same time, this bill will do very little to discourage young people from seeking out informal sources of age-restricted and illicit products. Friends, family, and strangers will continue supplying underage experimenters while people who don’t have access to a reliable brick and mortar vape shop will be pressured to return to smoking. (Cigarettes are still the most widely sold and popular tobacco product on the market!)
Take action now and urge your representative to reject S. 1253!
(Update 07.02.10)
S. 1253, which would prohibit mailing vapor products through the USPS and require signature on delivery (with added cost) may be heading to a vote by the full senate within the hour.
If you think that protecting access to low-risk vapor products for people who can’t get to a vape shop is valuable, then now is the time to surge emails to your senators.
Take action now and urge your senators to reject S. 1253!
(Update – 06.29.20)
Last week, CASAA members sent more than 3000 messages to congress urging officials to reject a ban on vape mail shipped via the USPS. Despite your response, S. 1253 is getting closer to moving forward by the day.
We need a sustained response to this bill in order to demonstrate to lawmakers that many people rely on getting vapor products by mail and that consumers shouldn’t be paying unnecessary extra costs in order to access safer alternatives to smoking.
and urging them to reject this bill.
In the midst of a pandemic involving a severe respiratory illness, the last thing that officials should be implementing is a policy that threatens to send millions of people back to smoking!
(Update – 06.25.20)
In November, CASAA alerted our members to S. 1253, which would prohibit the USPS from shipping vapor products and impose adult signature on delivery requirements for independent carriers like FedEx and UPS. Several months and reams of COVID-19 legislation later, S. 1253 is likely moving back to being fast-tracked through the Senate.
Please take action now by contacting your senators and urging them to reject this bill.
In the midst of a pandemic involving a severe respiratory illness, the last thing that officials should be implementing is a policy that threatens to send millions of people back to smoking!
(Original Post – 11.13.19)
S 1253, which is the Senate version of HR 3842, is being fast-tracked through committee. This bill would prohibit the U.S. Postal Service from accepting packages of vapor products for delivery. While this is not an all-out ban on online sales (private carriers like UPS and FedEx offer signature on delivery), it would raise the cost of purchasing vapor products (by $15-$20 per shipment) for people who depend on being able to have safer alternatives delivered to their door (i.e. people who live in rural areas, people who are unable to be home to sign for deliveries, etc…) by requiring signature on delivery.
Take Action – Click Here to Send a Message
While it is understandable that lawmakers want to make it harder for youth to get their hands on nicotine products, this legislation will not address access to social sources or illegal sellers on popular social media platforms. In short, all that S.1253/HR.3842 will do is make it more difficult for people to access safer alternatives to smoking. For people living in small towns and urban neighborhoods where vape shops might not exist, this means that cigarettes will remain the most popular and convenient tobacco product.
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- S. 1253 – Bill Page