Several Arizona e-cigarette retailers claim they were duped into signing a petition to ban flavored vapes in the state by a representative of Altria. Casey Chanda, the manager of a liquor store, told The Arizona Republic that a representative for the tobacco giant showed up at his shop offering a list of flavored vapes that would be banned under a bill being proposed in the state Legislature. Chanda said he was told he had to sign something to receive the list.
The next day, Chanda said he saw his store was officially registered on the Legislature’s website as being in support of a bill that would allow only the 34 vape devices currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be sold. Those 34 products are all made by either Altria, R.J. Reynolds, or Japan Tobacco International, The Arizona Republic reported.
Chanda said he “flipped out” and called his Marlboro rep.
“I said, ‘Why the f— would I want to stop selling the vapes?’” he said. “‘Do you know how much money I make?’”
The store is one of nearly 40 liquor and convenience stores that signed “for” Senate Bill 1603 on the Legislature’s “Request to Speak” system, which allows people to add their names and affiliations to support or oppose a bill. The system helps lawmakers decide how to vote on bills.
Including Chanda, four of five store owners or managers of liquor and convenience stores contacted by The Arizona Republic said they did not intentionally sign up to support the bill.
Mike Takrouri, owner of Party Stop Market said his Altria rep said the bill would stop the sale of menthol cigarettes. “Then I found it was not about the menthol cigarettes, it was about the vapes,” he said. “I feel like they were not honest from the beginning.” He said he asked the rep to take his name off the Legislature’s site because he’s not in support of the bill, but as of April 7, it was still there.
Phil Butler, general manager of Chandler Oil One said that during a recent meeting with his Altria rep about the bill, “the way they presented it to me was not right.”
“I don’t support it,” he said. “When I signed up for it, I wasn’t given all the information on it.
“It’s Big Tobacco trying to use the legal system to go after these smaller companies, because they’re taking their profits,” he said, adding that his store profits about $2,500 per month on the flavored vape devices, which outsell “Big Tobacco’s” vape products and have a better margin.
The Arizona Republic said Altria did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper about these incidents.
