{"id":18793,"date":"2019-03-01T10:11:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T15:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tasteyourjuice.com\/wordpress\/?p=18793"},"modified":"2019-03-01T10:11:07","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T15:11:07","slug":"vtas-statement-on-altria-presentation-to-cagny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteyourjuice.com\/wordpress\/archives\/18793","title":{"rendered":"VTA’s Statement on Altria Presentation to CAGNY"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

STATEMENT ON ALTRIA
\nPRESENTATION TO CAGNY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Last week, Howard Willard, Chairman & CEO of Altria Group, Inc., presented to the Consumer Analysts Group of New York (CAGNY).\u00a0During the presentation, Mr. Willard succinctly described Altria\u2019s planned actions to address the increase in youth experimentation with electronic cigarettes, including:\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEncourage FDA to take industry-wide action by banning retail and vape store sales of all non-traditional flavors until the youth issue is otherwise addressed, such as by the use of advanced age verification technology or pre-market authorization.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\nAltria\u2019s position that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (\u201cFDA\u201d) should ban the sale of all non-traditional flavors at retail and vape shops marginalizes harm reduction and does a disservice to adult smokers seeking lower risk alternatives to cigarettes for several reasons. In particular, (1) scientists have concluded that flavors assist smokers in quitting smoking cigarettes; and (2) current scientific literature demonstrates that flavors play little role in attracting teens to use vapor products. Altria\u2019s view fails to adequately assess the net public health benefits of flavored vapor products and ultimately serves only to harm adult smokers while doing little to solve the concerns around youth usage.<\/p>\n

For these reasons, the Vapor Technology Association (\u201cVTA\u201d) disagrees strongly with the Altria\u2019s planned course of action.<\/p>\n

VTA\u2019s Position –\u00a0<\/strong>Flavors are Essential for Smokers Seeking to Quit Combustible Cigarettes<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the past three years, VTA\u2019s position on vape shops and flavors has been clear and consistent:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Flavor Bans and\/or Restrictions are Unwarranted:<\/strong>
    \nBanning or restricting the sale of flavors is the wrong approach. Until science demonstrates otherwise, neither FDA nor any other governmental entity should act to ban or limit the availability and accessibility of flavors on the market to the detriment of adult smokers seeking to quit combustible cigarettes.<\/li>\n
  2. Appeal of Flavors is Subjective:\u00a0<\/strong>
    \nThe appeal of particular flavors is subjective and not the reason most youth choose to initiate electronic cigarettes. \u00a0Sound science does not support a plan that tries to categorize flavors as offerings which \u201cshould\u201d or \u201cshould not\u201d be sold.<\/li>\n
  3. Focus Should Be on Prohibiting Inappropriate Marketing of Flavors:<\/strong>
    \nProhibiting inappropriate marketing should be the focus of efforts to address the increase in youth experimentation with electronic cigarettes. \u00a0VTA has introduced legislation in several states to affirmatively impose reasonable marketing restrictions.<\/li>\n
  4. VTA Marketing Standards:<\/strong>
    \nVTA has repeatedly encouraged industry to adopt the VTA Marketing Standards for Membership which would serve to limit both access to and appeal of vapor products to youth.<\/li>\n
  5. Flavors are Critical to Smoking Cessation:\u00a0<\/strong>
    \nAdult smokers looking to vapor products as an off-ramp from combustible cigarettes deserve access to a wide variety of flavored products to allow for individualized choice in finding the product that works best for them. VTA presented a clear and unequivocal scientific case to FDA showing that flavors help adult smokers quit.<\/li>\n
  6. Flavor Bans Directly Threaten Vape Shops:<\/strong>
    \nA decision to ban flavors from brick-and-mortar vape shops, even temporarily, will eliminate over 10,000 small businesses and un-employ\u00a0tens of thousands of Americans that work for them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \nVTA\u2019s Board of Directors follows the aforementioned principles, and VTA intends to continue to fight for flavors at all levels of government. \u00a0Our membership has too much invested in the vape shop and retail store channels to equivocate on these issues and we will challenge any efforts to ban flavors at vape shops and retail stores.<\/p>\n

    VTA\u2019s Board of Directors is comprised of 16 companies that manufacture, supply, distribute and sell a variety of open and closed system products, including thousands of flavors. \u00a0Our policies have always and will remain true to defending all segments of the industry.<\/p>\n

    – VTA Board of Directors<\/p>\n

    \"Share<\/a>