My wife and I own an e-liquid company based in Washington that today produces 27 different e-liquids — the liquid you put in e-cigarettes that becomes a vapor.
We got our start after my wife quit smoking and switched to vaping. It’s a better alternative for her and many others, and has given us the ability to become entrepreneurs.
I believe tobacco harm reduction should be a much bigger factor in our country’s health care policies, and that includes supporting vaping.
We could learn a lesson from Europe. The Royal College of Physicians released a report stating vapor is 95 percent less harmful than a cigarette. They concluded, “In the interests of public health it is important to promote the use of e-cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy, and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK.” This same public health group was one of the first to warn that cigarettes cause cancer.
Legislation called the Cole-Bishop Amendment is now being considered in Congress, which seeks to balance smart regulation of the vapor industry with ensuring vapor products are available as tobacco harm reduction tools. I hope Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell support this bill, and support the tens of thousands of vapers in our state and harm reduction.
