This past session members of the Legislature engaged in emotional, yet productive, conversations around vapor products and a law that would establish a state vapor product registry. This is something that many other states have passed and currently exists for other tobacco-related and alcohol products. Establishing a vapor product registry was aimed at ridding the store shelves of predatory and illegal vaping products and protecting our children from them. While this did not advance, it did open the door for a broader conversation and highlight the important distinction between lawful and unlawful vaping products.
We gained valuable insight into the functionality of many legal vaping products and the potential implications for public health. We learned that not all vaping products are created equal.
The lack of adequate regulation from the federal government has caused an influx of illegal vapor products from China into many states, including Georgia, causing the need for a state vapor product directory. You can often find these products widespread and in candy flavors to attract children. It becomes difficult for law enforcement and retailers to differentiate between legal and illegal products with the overwhelming volume of illegal items being shipped and sold. The vapor product directory would supply that much-needed differentiation, providing vendors and law enforcement with the vital information needed to distinguish between them.
While we must remove dangerous and illegal products targeting children from the market, it’s crucial to differentiate and educate smokers about using vapor products for harm reduction. A key aspect of this is understanding that nicotine isn’t the primary health hazard in tobacco products. Derived naturally from the tobacco leaf, nicotine has been used for millennia. Despite its addictive properties, nicotine alone doesn’t pose the greatest risk. The real danger lies in the combustion process of traditional cigarettes, which produces harmful toxins. By avoiding the burning and inhalation of smoke, the health risk can be significantly reduced.
Prominent scientists and researchers have shown how important vapor products can be in support of public health, despite some healthcare advocates continuing to vilify all vapes. In the committee debates on establishing a vapor product directory, we heard ample of testimony about how vapes are more effective than other therapies in helping smokers quit, a fact that many people have difficulty accepting.
Quitting cigarettes is notoriously difficult for smokers, and they often try products like nicotine replacement gums and patches to help. However, research has shown that vaping is a far more effective cessation tool. Yet, nicotine replacement gum and patches are advertised as the primary aids to help smokers quit and are readily available on the shelves at local pharmacies.
The United States has the potential to lead a global initiative in transitioning smokers towards less harmful alternatives that can eventually help them quit. However, this requires changes from our leading institutions. The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products has struggled to regulate a marketplace that offers safer smoking alternatives for adults while protecting the youth. We should all support this mission to protect children and keep adult products out of their reach. That’s why vaping, like all tobacco products, is illegal for anyone under 21.
Youth prevention policies and educational programs have successfully reduced youth smoking rates to historic lows. However, the continued access that underage consumers have to adult products indicates a lack of effective policy enforcement. These shortcomings in federal enforcement have led to an influx of illegal disposable vapes from China, ironically becoming the preferred choice among teenagers.
A vapor product directory would enhance enforcement against these harmful illegal products, while lending credibility to legal products as a potential harm reduction strategy. It’s time that we recognize what many leading scientists and public health experts already know: moving smokers away from cigarettes to less harmful options will save millions of lives.
State Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, represents a district which includes portions of Fulton and Cherokee counties. He is also the executive director of True North 400, formerly the North Fulton Community Improvement District.
