White House Meeting Scheduled; Who Will Represent Vapers?

Trump administration officials will meet Friday with stakeholders to discuss the future of vaping product regulations, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Participants will include a diverse group of advocacy, industry, non-profits, medical associations, and state officials,” the White House said.

The meeting “will allow the president and other administration officials an opportunity to hear from a large group, representing all sides as we continue to develop responsible guidelines that protect the public health and the American people,” according to a White House statement.

No one is certain which, if any, groups will represent vaping consumers or the independent vaping industry.

Who will be at the White House meeting on Friday?

“Participants will include a diverse group of advocacy, industry, non-profits, medical associations, and state officials,” the White House said in a statement.

You judge what that might mean.

— Paul Blair (@gopaulblair) November 20, 2019

Earlier this month, President Trump backed away from a ban on flavored vaping products just a day before the ban was set to be announced. The President told his staff he was concerned with losing votes from vapers in battleground states in next year’s election, and also with lost jobs, according to the Washington Post. Trump has been accused of backing down from the previously planned ban because of lobbying pressure.

“As the president has said, there is a serious problem among our youth and their growing addiction to e-cigarettes,” the White House said in today’s statement, according to the Journal. “The policy making process is not stalled —it continues to move forward.”

Vaping advocates inside and outside the industry don’t believe the President or his advisers have a strong understanding of the controversy from a vaper’s point of view. If legitimate representatives who can speak for vapers (and the non-tobacco segment of the vaping industry) are not invited to the meeting, it will allow incumbent interests to shut the disruptive young industry out of the future.

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Article Written By: Jim McDonald