Dear Members,
It has been a busy summer for the Maryland Vapor Alliance! Candice, Chuck, Melissa, Jimmy, and myself went to the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) in Ocean City from August 18th to 21st. First, I want to thank everyone that attended and I hope it was prosperous and fun. We met with many MD legislators and let them know that we are active in our field and act as good stewards that care about the industry. We spoke with many legislators but there were a certain few that we wanted to talk to specifically. Our lobbyist would call this a “touch”. We made a few important connections that we want to tell our members about, here’s who we touched:
Comptroller Peter Franchot: Spoke with Candice and Melissa and indicated his willingness to work with our industry. Mentioned his role in putting a task force together, and not letting the “big guy” take over the industry.
Senate President Bill Ferguson: Spoke with Candice and showed understanding of small business owners being caught in the crossfire of industry regulation. He expressed willingness to work with the MVA.
Senator JB Jennings, Finance Committee: Spoke with Matt, Candice, Melissa, and Chuck and shows full support for our industry.
Senator Steven Hershey, Finance Committee: Spoke with Matt, Candice, Melissa, and Chuck and shows full support for our industry.
Senator Justin Ready, Finance Committee: Spoke with Matt and Candice and shows full support for our industry.
Delegate Talmadge Branch, Majority Whip: Spoke with Candice and Melissa. He remembered our testimony from the 2020 flavor ban hearing. He really liked the kids doing their civic duty and testifying on behalf of their parents as to how vaping has helped them quit smoking. He understands the industry is trying to help adults quit smoking.
Delegate Lily Qi, Economic Matters Committee: Spoke with Candice and recalled testimony from the 2020 flavor ban hearing.
Delegate Pamela Queen, Economic Matters Committee: Spoke with Candice, Chuck and Melissa and recalled testimony from the 2020 flavor ban hearing. She agrees vaping should be accessible to adults and gave a card for contact.
Senator Sarah Ehlfreth, Finance Committee: Spoke with Candice and Melissa. Candice and Melissa thanked her for her work on the fair tax for the open-system vapor industry. We reiterated that she saved businesses. She thanked us for educating her on the industry and stated she did the right thing.
Delegate Pat Young, Appropriations Committee: Spoke with Candice, who introduced our group (he had not heard of the MVA.) We told him about our group’s mission and how we help adults quit smoking.
Manny Welsh, Comptroller/Chief of Staff: Spoke with Candice and Melissa about an E-cig task force, suggesting their willingness to work with MVA.
Senator Kathy Klausmeier, Finance Committee: Spoke with Chuck and Matt and remembered our 2020 flavor ban testimony. She wants to work to keep vaping away from kids.
Sally Robb, Senate President Chief of Staff: Spoke with Candice and reminded us that she was former counsel for the Economic Matters Committee and knows the issue well. She understands the need to keep these products available to adults.
Overall, we had many good conversations with our legislators and even introduced ourselves to some legislators we have not spoken to before. This is an important event each year and I’m very thankful for everyone who attended on behalf of the MVA and all businesses in MD! All members who went to MACo did so on their own dime and their own accord. All meals, accommodations, and other expenses were paid for by the members and not the MVA.
Lately there have been some denials of PMTA applications by the FDA and a lot of people are quick to jump to conclusions. We will be scheduling a Zoom meeting to address member questions and concerns. The MVA has released a statement here, but we feel that it’s too early to jump to sweeping conclusions. We can only digest information as it comes out, and will keep our members as updated as possible.
Regardless of what the FDA is doing federally, our focus remains on state issues. We are open to helping other organizations or signing our name to possible forthcoming lawsuits, if our budget allows. If we do choose to take part in any of those activities it will be discussed with current membership. Our session is only a few months away (Jan. 12, 2022) and we all know, a lot can happen in a few months. MVA member chat is going to be your best and fastest way to either post news and stay informed of what’s happening.
Lastly, we are pleased to say that the website is now fully functional with credit card acceptance. If you have any trouble with the website or login issues, please contact anyone on the board and we will get it fixed. Now that we have a great website, let’s use it to get some new members! If you know of any vape shop that isn’t a member, please reach out to them and let us know to follow up with them for membership. The more members we have, the stronger we are and the more things we can accomplish. Right now, 100% of our funds go towards our lobbying contract. If anyone wants to view our contract specifically, please let me know.
Thank you all again for supporting the industry in MD and protecting a safer alternative for adults looking to quit smoking cigarettes!
Matthew Milby
MVA
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