TPA Urges House Republicans to Oppose “Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act” (S. 1253)

July 6, 2020

United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative,

On behalf of millions of taxpayers and consumers across the U.S., the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) urges you to oppose the “Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act” (S. 1253). This misguided legislation would bar the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from delivering life-saving electronic nicotine delivery systems to adult smokers trying to quit their deadly habit. These products have saved countless lives and offer an “exit ramp” off of combustible cigarettes responsible for millions of deaths and ailments each year. Making these products non-mailable would be a disaster for public health and further compromise the troubled finances of the USPS. S. 1253 would result in increased death and suffering for millions, while adding further needless restrictions onto the USPS.

Countless studies conclude that e-cigarettes are a safe and proven way for people to quit smoking.  A U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report on e-cigarettes found that, based on the available evidence, “e-cigarettes are likely to be far less harmful than combustible tobacco cigarettes.”  The United Kingdom (U.K.) Government and all major medical bodies now “encourage” smokers to use e-cigarettes as a quit-smoking aid. This is not surprising because of the overwhelming evidence on the effectiveness of a product that is “around 95 percent less harmful than smoking,” a figure confirmed by Public Health England (part of the U.K. government) and reaffirmed every year since 2015. Similarly, air quality studies have found that e-cigarettes pose no threat to bystanders via “passive smoking.” Hundreds of studies have been published over the course of the last few years, measuring the impact of e-cigarettes on everything from cardiovascular health to lung capacity and regeneration. So powerful is the life-saving potential of these products that, according to the most comprehensive peer-reviewed research on the effects of switching coordinated by the George Washington University Medical Center, 6.6 million lives could be saved over the next ten years if a majority of U.S. smokers quit smoking through the use of e-cigarettes.

In addition, numerous studies have shown that e-cigarettes are considerably more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies. In January 2019, the New England Journal of Medicine reported the results of the largest and most comprehensive of these, finding unequivocally that e-cigarettes are nearly twice as effective as conventional nicotine replacement products (such as patches and gum) for quitting smoking. But in the name of “preventing sales…to children,” S. 1253 would prevent millions of adult smokers from getting the products they need to stop smoking. The prohibition on mailing e-cigarettes would hit the USPS particularly hard, which is already facing unfunded liabilities in excess of $160 billion. Cutting the beleaguered agency off from billions of dollars in annual e-cigarette sales would be devastating to America’s mail carrier and result in increased compliance burdens to identify illicit shipping. These onerous restrictions would result in reduced liquidity for the agency and increase the chances of a multi-billion-dollar taxpayer bailout.

Congress can prevent this public health and financial disaster by rejecting this misguided legislation and exploring options other than mailing prohibition to prevent youth access to e-cigarettes. Millions of lives depend on lawmakers allowing adults continued access to harm reduction products.

Sincerely,

David Williams
President