DELTACOLLEGIATE STUDENT RUN SINCE '61
Volume 85 • Issue 2
September 10, 2019
Local residents prepare for flavored e-cigarette ban
Mike Pieper • Creative Director
Flavored vapor has become very popular in the midst of controversy. RJ Murphy • Reporter @rjmurphwoods
Michigan just became the first state to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, and it’s not going over well with local businesses that specialize in the product. On September 4, 2019, governor Gretchen Whitmer made an executive order banning flavored e-cigarettes for six months. This ban will go into effect within
30 days and applies to both physical and online retail. Billy’s Tobacco, a small smoke shop located next to the Ashman Circle in Midland, sells a large variety of vaping products. Lately, this store has seen an increase in customer traffic, with vaping users pouring in to stock up on flavored e-juice. “It definitely hurts the business owners and the
employees,” says Kendahl Duckett, an employee at Billy’s. “I may have to look for a new job. It hurts a lot of people.” The new law was put into place to combat the rising rate of youth e-cigarette use. The flavors that are getting adults to switch from smoking are the same flavors that draw kids, or non-nicotine users, to the product. “I do believe some of the marketing should be different, maybe tone it down a little bit,” says Duckett, who agrees that stricter regulation, appropriate packaging, ID checks and safer ingredients would all make a difference. There has been a number of hospitalizations following e-cigarette incidents, including 22 teens in the Midwest, as reported by NBC News in August. The CDC and FDA reported in a joint statement that 215 cases of severe
lung disease associated with vaping were reported across 25 states. In addition, ABC News reported that a total of five deaths have been linked to vaping. Ted Kwong, spokesman for Juul electronic cigarettes, spoke out against banning smoke-free alternatives after the city of San Francisco became the first US city to ban all e-cigarette sales in June. "This full prohibition will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes," stated Kwong. When asked how Billy’s Tobacco plans to cope with the new law, Duckett says that the store will sell whatever flavored juices are left in stock. “We need to look at the legal options,” says Duckett. “The law is focused on flavors so maybe we can break down the flavors and other ingredients and
sell them separate. The only flavors that are going to be legally allowed are the tobacco flavors.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In 2018, more than 3.6 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, including 4.9% of middle school students and 20.8% of high school students.” Governor Whitmer pointed out in a statement how e-cigarette products that label themselves as “clean” or “safe” may be perpetuating beliefs that these products are harmless. Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, responded in a statement that Michigan's action will "create a massive, multi-million-dollar black market" for vaping products, and the American Vaping Association will support any lawsuits against the ban.
Delta welcomes “Charged” author to Saginaw Patrick Sochacki • Reporter @SochakiPatrick
Emily Bazelon, award-winning author of the New York Times Best-Selling book “Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration,” is coming to the Temple Theatre Tuesday, September 17 at 7 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public. In “Charged," Bazelon covers things like bond setting, plea deals and diversionary tactics employed by prosecutors. “As a journalist, I have never felt a greater sense of urgency about exposing the roots of a problem and shining a light on the people working to solve it,” Bazelon writes toward the end of her
book. “[...] We have to fix the broken parts of America’s criminal justice system. And we the people have the power to do it with our votes.” Bazelon’s book seeks to reveal problems in the United States’ justice system and showcase stories of people personally affected by this system. She also links those personal stories with actions and judicial reforms that aim to reduce recidivism and lower total incarcerations. Kimberly Klein, political science professor at Delta and one of the event organizers, says Emily provides a powerful message on the topic of criminal justice reform. “Emily digs deeper and sheds light on the role of prosecutors and the impact this is having on the criminal justice system," says Klein. "Part of the discussion will focus
on solutions, thus empowering the role of citizens in addressing this concern.” Kimberly also mentioned that “since reading her book, we [the committee members] all agree that this will be a powerful message and a unique opportunity for us, as a community to dialogue about these issues." “We the people, as citizens in this democracy, have a direct role to play,” says Klein. “Our hope is this event will open up dialogue informing citizens on how they can make a difference.” Following Bazelon’s presentation, there will be a tour of the new Delta College Saginaw Center nearby. For more information on the presentation, contact event coordinators David Baskind (debaskin@delta.edu) or Kim Klein (kimberlyklein@delta.edu).