Demonstration to save e-cigarettes in the US - "Vaping has saved our lives"

As Donald Trump prepares a new policy to heavily regulate e-cigarettes in the US, vejpers across the country are gathering to protest.

On Saturday, a large demonstration is planned outside the White House, under the slogan "We vape, we vote". The event is organized by the United Vapers Alliance (UVA).

"It is about the right to choose. We are adults who have chosen to vejpa instead of smoking. Vaping has saved our lives. What gives our politicians the right to take that choice away?" says UVA activist Tristan Thompson to Canadian RegWatch TV channel.

The organization now hopes to get the message out to as many of the 11 million people who use e-cigarettes in the US as possible. In the pot is over 10 000 vejpshoppar that will be forced to close if their products are banned. The figures are upwards of 100,000 jobs that disappear.

The debate about e-cigarettes and flavored e-juices has been raging for a long time and has flared up since over 1600 people suffered lung damage after using improperly manufactured cannabis (THC) e-juices purchased on the black market. Although authorities have confirmed that the damage was not caused by regular nicotine e-juices, several states have banned the sale of nicotine-flavored e-juices. Even Donald Trump has publicly called on federal authorities to "clear the market" of flavored e-juices.

The arguments so far have centered on the fact that vejping is increasing among young people in the US and that the health risks of e-cigarettes are unknown. At the same time, studies show that the number of young people smoking analog cigarettes has declined sharply as vejp use has increased. In-depth studies also show that young people who used to smoke, or were at risk of starting to smoke, are now using e-cigarettes instead, for example, CNN reported earlier this week.

The debate has pitted health experts, scientists and economic interests against each other. According to Tristan Thompson it is clear that money is behind the states' ban on flavored e-juice.

"Trying to ban a product in this way, because of an unjustified moral panic, is simply absurd. It's not ok, and whatever your political color and affiliation, you have to react. General product bans have not worked in the past, they will not work in the future and they will not work now. Politicians know that too. This is not about saving young people from e-cigarettes. There is an economic ulterior motive here," said Tristan Thompson to RegWatch.

The motive, according to Tristan Thompson and several commentators, is "MSA - Master Settlement Agreement. Since 1998, several states have had an agreement with the big tobacco companies that forces the companies to pay large sums of money in relation to their annual local cigarette sales in the various states. In return, the agreement prevents states from suing the tobacco companies for the harm their products cause. As a result, fewer smokers is not necessarily seen as a positive development in some states, from a purely economic perspective.

"It's a lot of money for some states. The MSA is an important underlying reason for wanting to ban e-cigarettes or alternative products that attract smokers - the states lose their MSA money when cigarette sales decline. We, as an alternative to cigarettes, don't fit into their economic calculus. So they ban our products" says Tristan Thompson.

He is joined by YouTube influencer and vejp activist Matt Culley. But Matt Culley says another big reason for the fiery debate is that vejpning has long aroused the anger, and confusion, of several established anti-smoking groups in society, groups that abhor not just smoking, but smokers on an ideological level. Smoking has become the new object of hate, say Matt Culley.

"Smokers are probably the most stigmatized group in society. Smoking is not just a class issue, but a deep moral issue rooted in the perception of addiction. Smokers are seen as sick individuals who MUST be forced to choose - stop smoking or die. It is "no pain, no gain" that applies. All forms of harm reduction, whether methadone programs or nicotine via e-cigarettes, are not seen as alternatives, but as equally "evil" phenomena. It's as if it's not really good enough; vejping is repugnant to them because it's actually not only proven to be healthier, but also something that users enjoy. Then it's all wrong, according to this puritanical way of looking at drug addiction" says Matt Culley to RegWatch.

The demonstration will start at noon in Washington (around 17:00 CET) and run for a few hours with speeches from all major vejp associations and consumer organizations.