So Altria is going to remove a bunch of their e-vapor products (that no one buys) for the sake of the kids (but mostly to pressure a company eating into their CIGARETTE sales to respond in kind, which would certainly slow or stop people from switching). A word on that.
As you may or may not know, I've done some research on the JUUL panic. As you may or may not know, the panic is an unprecedented success. This is really the first time fear of vaping, & hatred towards vape companies has successfully diffused outside of tobacco control circles.
A key strategy was co-opting student assistance counsellors, who were used to sensitize admins, parents & public to dangers of JUULing via local "educational events," which local news stations were invited to cover. This was BEFORE JUUL's growth. The events were about "warning."
An earlier carrier of anti-JUUL BS Caron Treatment Centers. Caron's Student Assistance Program serves over 600 schools in MA, NY, NJ, CT, VA, FL, DC-to name a few. Here are some quick facts from a Nov 2017 anti-vaping presentation in Massachusetts & poster for a more recent event 
Caron SAP has a "nicotine cessation" program called Project Connect. What the "quick facts" in the screen cap above (and in most materials from Caron's public engagement) omits, is that Project Connect is funded entirely by Altria. (screen cap of Caron's 2017 annual report)
Now. Altria was concerned about teen vaping. Bless them. So concerned, they "responded" to a youth vaping problem--with a vaping prevention campaign-- when NO objective evidence of a problem existed!
Note: the program focused on dangers of vaping & nicotine. Cigs, not so much.
Note: the program focused on dangers of vaping & nicotine. Cigs, not so much.
So what are Altria's nicotine preventioneers & partners telling people stuff disrupting the cig market?
1. Vaping is a term invented by something called the "ENDS industry"
2. Vaping (but all the kids say JUULing now) is no longer harm reduction.
3. Vaping is a big tobacco plot.
1. Vaping is a term invented by something called the "ENDS industry"
2. Vaping (but all the kids say JUULing now) is no longer harm reduction.
3. Vaping is a big tobacco plot.
4. Kids can easily get products from local vape shops and use visa gift cards to buy them online (from Altria's competition). It's a wild west really....
5. The ENDS industry (aka big tobacco) targets youth with kiddy flavors.
6. and "trendy" products.
7. Most recently JUUL
5. The ENDS industry (aka big tobacco) targets youth with kiddy flavors.
6. and "trendy" products.
7. Most recently JUUL
Here are some dangers *of vaping* Altria's third parties are warning about vaping. While cigarettes, which present all of these same risks, as well as the risk of cancer, heart disease and death, etc. etc. are mysteriously absent from any of the slideshows and materials I found.
Well, almost absent. There are occasional plugs for Marlboro....
Some questions: To what extent did Altria help establish widespread belief of a new JUULing threat for FDA to crack down on? Is Altria responding to FDA or is FDA reacting to Altria? Was there coordination between Altria 3rd parties, tobacco control orgs and/or CTP? I don't know.
What I know is that Altria is a cigarette company. They're threatened by JUUL/vaping. They had nothing to lose sacrificing their crap ecigs in today's PR stunt
BTW. When Caron mobilized against JUUL in 2017 this was the picture for Marlboro cigs in the replacement smoker market:
BTW. When Caron mobilized against JUUL in 2017 this was the picture for Marlboro cigs in the replacement smoker market:
Rushed thread. Sorry for the terrible grammar and typos. (I'm trying to actually get a non-tweeted version of this research done at the moment. Altria inspired me to share some of it today.)
