Oklahoma Bill Back from the Dead

Oklahoma State Capitol

Some people just don’t know when to quit.  After Oklahoma’s SB802, about which we previously reported, was defeated by the state’s House Health Committee, it’s back only a few days later.  Apparently not willing to let his tobacco-company-backed bill go down easy, Oklahoma Senator Rob Johnson (R) has attached it as an amendment to HB2097, and unrelated bill which would allow the release certain private records in an emergency.

Hundreds showed up to protest the bill in its original incarnation, which was almost identical the the version resubmitted today.  It would raise taxes on e-cigarette products, require a very expensive tobacco seller’s license to sell e-cigarette supplies, and would essentially criminalize many online e-cigarette sales, according to CASAA.

The bill is backed by tobacco companies like R.J. Reynolds, presumably because it would almost certainly cripple to operations of their smaller competition by requiring a costly tobacco seller’s license, which in turn requires a hefty bond too expensive for many smaller shops to afford.  Elimination of Internet sales would most likely not affect  tobacco companies to any great degree, as they have long-standing relationships with vendors, ensuring they are given shelf space in local shops.

This time there won’t be a public hearing, since Senator Johnson has chosen to inject this this amendment into HB2097 mid-stream. CASAA is urging people to act quickly to stop this bill, for the second time this month.  More details on this bill, and what you can do to stop it, are available on CASAA’s website.

Oklahoma Bill Back from the Dead

Big Tobacco vs. The Rest of Us

As e-cigarettes have become more and more popular — and, as a result, more profitable — it’s not surprising that the giants of the tobacco industry have started angling for their piece of the pie. We’ve already seen buy-outs of e-cigarette companies, like Lorrilard’s purchase of Blu, as Big Tobacco scrambles to find a place in this rapidly growing market.

Unfortunately, the tobacco industry’s efforts to earn their place in the e-cigarette market don’t stop at trying to compete at a market level. We’re increasingly seeing efforts from companies like R.J. Reynolds to crush their competition by supporting legislation designed to cripple their competitors.  One example is their backing of Oklahoma’s SB802, which we’ve talked about here before. By making internet sales illegal and requiring that vendors buy only from companies with an expensive tobacco seller’s license, R.J. Reynolds is clearly hoping to use their established relationships with suppliers and stores to get a huge leg up on their smaller-scale competition.

R.J. Reynolds obviously already has tobacco-licensed middlemen in place to sell their new e-cigarette product, named Vuse, at brick-and-mortar stores all over Oklahoma.  The tobacco license and online sales restrictions of the bill won’t affect them at all, but it could be crippling for smaller vendors, who often rely on online sales and direct relationships with manufacturers who will not have the Oklahoma license, to stay afloat.

“Why are they trying to turn thousands of e-cigarette consumers in their state into criminals?” – Bill Godshall, Smokeless Pennsylvania

The restriction on online sales is perhaps the most troubling part of the law, as it would make it illegal to buy e-cigarettes online.  By many estimates, that is how over half of all purchases are currently done. While this may not bother a company like R.J. Reynolds with the money and influence to be able to get product onto physical store shelves, it’s certainly a very troubling prospect for the rest of us.

Big tobacco stubs out e-cigarette competitors | The Daily Caller

Big Tobacco vs. The Rest of Us