Vape Advocacy: CASAA Fighting for Your Rights

If you've been following the news, you're probably already aware that vaping is under attack and in danger for a variety of reasons.

Cities, states, and even the federal government are passing laws treating smoking and vaping as if they are the same thing, leading to restrictions on what and where you're allowed to vape.

Amidst the declaration of an underage vaping 'epidemic,' regulators and politicians are seriously considering a complete and total ban on all flavored e-liquids besides tobacco and menthol.

The US Food and Drug Administration is currently cracking down on cigalike manufacturers and has, in recent months, threatened to ban the sale of vapor products online or even in person at certain retail locations. The federal regulatory agency has also enacted a blanket ban on new products created after August 2016, barring innovation even if it means blocking the release of improved or safer products.

Meanwhile, scientific research is beginning to make significant strides toward uncovering the health consequences of vaping. We're learning not just about the unique risks that vaping poses, but also uncovering promising developments that are good news for people who choose to vape instead of continuing to smoke.

If you're only getting your news from the mainstream outlets, however, you're probably hearing a lot more bad than good, which is unfortunate.

What we vapers need, now more than ever, is someone on our side. A powerful voice to spread the good word about vaping and combat the misinformation spread by vapor opponents, be they deliberately deceitful or simply misinformed.

Friend, we'd like to introduce you to the world of vape advocacy, which is indeed a thing and has been for several years now. There are a handful of groups doing great work like the American Vaping Association and the industry-focused Vapor Technology Association, but we're going to talk today about the original vape advocate, one that you can support. Meet The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association, or CASAA.

Founded way back in 2009 (which might as well be eons ago since vaping was virtually unknown back then) CASAA is a non-profit organization powered by an all-volunteer board that says it is 'dedicated to ensuring the availability of reduced harm alternatives to smoking and to providing smokers and non-smokers alike with honest information about those alternatives so that they can make informed choices.'

Sounds great, right? It does to us; their mission lines up pretty well with what we're trying to do here at Breazy through our blog and education sections. But there's more:

CASAA is focused on the individual and is member-driven. While CASAA accepts donations from vapor manufacturers and retailers, CASAA doesn't align itself with anyone in the industry and prohibits more than a third of its board seats from being occupied by people with industry ties

That means they're here for you, the individual vaper.

The group is serious about science, directing tens of thousands of dollars in donations toward scientific review of the existing research on vaping, interpreting findings in a way that's useful to vapers and that debunks bad research.

They've collected the largest body of personal testimonials from those who've successfully quit smoking and credit vaping with helping them do so. There are now more than 11,000 of those stories in their archive, and if you want to read them all they've made each and every one public.

For almost a decade, CASAA has been on the front lines of every vaper-rights battle large and small, offering news and member calls-to-action on everything from small town anti-vaping ordinances to sweeping federal proposals to ban flavors. Their advocacy allows you quickly assess what's going on in your community and, if you're so inclined, what you can do to help advance the cause.

All this volunteer advocacy doesn't work, however, without volunteers. While donations certainly help the cause, becoming a CASAA member is free, and always has been. When you join, you're adding your voice to a community of more than 200,000 vapers, and you'll receive personalized alerts letting you know when and where to take action.

Breazy is proud to support the work of CASAA, and we hope you'll join us in the fight to protect your right to choose vaping. Again, in the face of looming threats to flavor selection, product variety and safety, and even the existence of vaping as we know it, your voice is needed now more than ever.