“
“ It ’ s important for vapers to advocate
for themselves . They can ’ t just sit back and hope for the best , they need to get out there and lobby .
products in their basement and that ’ s not okay ,” said Casimiro . “ When vaping first started , there were no regulations in place … and the knee-jerk reaction of politicians has been to ban flavours .” Julie , alongside a lobbyist for the Vaping Technology Association , is now standing against the ban , launching her own bill that would impose more stringent regulations on the industry , but allow the sale of vital vaping products . “ The main differences between the new bill and the old one are that flavours would be allowed , but the purchasing age would be raised to 21 ,” said Casimiro . “ It would also regulate ingredients and nicotine potency .” She continued : “ The next stage is to get the bill out of committee and onto the house floor for a vote . “ It ’ s not going to be easy ; I know a couple of people in the chamber will just say no and argue that we have to keep the kids safe … but what about the adults ?” For a policymaker to change their perspective after hearing the pleas of vapers is rare , especially in an age of ideology-driven regulations and baseless restrictions . But the question now is how do we keep this momentum going ? Julie stressed that it ’ s about being vocal , highlighting that vapers can enact change in their own state , but they need to ask for it . “ We had a tremendous amount of people sign up with verbal testimony when the bill was heard in the house ,” she said . “ Even if I hear from 10 or 20 people on one bill , that ’ s a lot and it gets my attention . “ It ’ s important for vapers to advocate for themselves . They can ’ t just sit back and hope for the best , they need to get out there and lobby .”
VM33 l 77