total cash prizes, plus a $5,000 grand prize. >> go get a camera, get a microphone, and go start filming and produced the best video that you can possibly produce. announcer: visit studentcam.org for more information today. >> we're back with gregory colly of the president of the american vaping association and we're going to talk about the recent health concerns related to vaping and e cigarettes. good morning. >> thank you for having me. >> let's start off with who does the american vaping association represent? which company? >> we don't actually represent any company. we're a nonprofit. it comes out of my work. when i was in law scool i quit smoking with vaping, became an advocate for harm reduction. so american vaping association, we advocate for sensible regulation and we receive our funding now that's what small and medium sized businesses as

well as consumers. >> when you say small to medium sized are you talking about people who make e cigarettes? who are we talking about? >> a mix of independent manufacturers, distributors, retailers. >> what is the intended purpose? why do they even exist? guest: vaping products exist baut dr. russell wrote smokers smoke for the nicotine but die from the tar. but until these products came out there really was no way to deliver nicotine in an inhaled form that was pleasurable but that you eliminated the smoke. so the purpose of vaping products, why they were invented 14 years ago was to provide adult smokers, ones who have tried to quit but failed to give them nicotine in a much safer way. and we've succeeded. we've had well over 3 million american smokers make the switch to vaping and everyone virtually all in public health

including the f.d.a. and the national academy of sciences agree as long as they make the complete switch and no longer smoke any cigarettes they are significantly benefiting. >> you said you use e cigarettes yourself to stop smoking. does that do you still use e cigarettes as a pleasure product or something that only to be used for medical use? >> it's not a medical use but it is a replacement. so harm reduction is about meeting people where they are. for me, i use nicotine and i enjoy it. when i previously tried to get off nicotine using the gum, patch, i quickly relapse. that's the last thing i want to happen and the last thing many want to happen to smokers or ex smokers. >> we see a lot of news lately about people being harmed through vaping. what is your response to these public concerns about whether

any type of vaping, any type of e cigarettes can be safe to be used by anyone? the broad college of physicians, they estimated vaping to be at least 95% less harmful but what's been happening over the last 7, 8 weeks is that contaminated cart ridges, ones made and filled and sold by drug dealers, it's not the thc the problem it is the thickeners added or the pest sides that are in the weed plant from the cartels' marina at when heated converts to harmful chemicals. so we have been criticizing the c.d.c.'s slow response even though health departments are saying what's happening in our states is contaminated cart ridges. finally yesterday the c.d.c. came out with evidence showing that overwhelmingly cases are linked to these products and

that it is a one particular brand fake brand not a real rand that's sold in any store. that is a product that in wisconsin and illinois 70% of the patients that got sick reported using a product like that. >> let's back up two steps to make sure we know what we're talking about. thc, marijuana, extract the thc will get you high from the marijuana plants and put it into a cart ridge specifically designed for oil. >> that was my next question. explain what you're talking about with the cart ridge. what is the difference between the cart ridge and e cigarette. >> oil inhaled into your lungs especially with additives. that's bad news. vaping products meanwhile are the main ingreed ynts are not lipids. they don't have oils in them. so that's why a lot of public

health people, longtime advocate at the boston school of health has been trying to get the message out that it is not nicotine vaping products that are causing people to inhail oil into their lungs. >> so is this a battle between the established companies who are making the e cigarettes that are sold in stores and that leg cart ridges people are finding on the streets? >> yes. it's not so much a war. it's just the fact this is a natural consequence of prohibition. once you had them legalize and regulate marijuana they created these products. and if they're sold where they have regulations, by and large if you're an adult there's not much wrong with it. there's not many cases linked to legal products. but once you have a couple states that open up and create

this technology, people in illinois, in new jersey, they want to access and can't buy them legally so who do they turn to? drug dealers. and drug dealers don't abide by any regulations. >> if you want to have a question to ask or if you want to have an opinion, we want you to call and open up the regional lines for you this morning. if you are in the eastern or central time zone you can call the numbers on your screens. one of the things that the government has talked about

both state and federal government is removing flavors from the e cigarette realm. what's your organization's opinion of that? and what is the government include flavors of mint and mentsdzol? those are the ones that the industry is pushing back the most on. why? >> only one particular company juul pushing back but the vape shops across the country, about 10% of their sales on any given day are tobacco mint or mentsdzol. fruit and sweet flavors are the most used product by adults despite the rhetoric saying that flavors exist to target youth flavors were invented because consumers back in 2009-2010 long before the tobacco industry ever even thought e cigarettes are viable they demanded flavors. they started creating their own so the industry responded. in fact users of tobacco flavors, adult users are actually more likely to still

be smoking because tobacco flavors are simply a poor imtation for what a cigarette tastes like and that leads people to continue to smoke. so fruit and sweet flavors, by far the most popular among adults who have switched the most public health benefits. >> what type of regulation does the industry think is appropriate at this point? i think no one is arguing children should not use these products at all. but what type of regulation does the vaping industry think should be in place for? >> vaping advocates have come around on the idea of tobacco 21, we recognize that when you have 18 and 19-year-old high school seniors able to purchase products and then become dealers at their school to freshmen, sophomores, jr.s, that's bad news. so top co21 and for the past six seven years we have been oodsvo kating to set up a

standards based system. if there are harmful chemicals they should set a standard. what we have instead is a prospect of near prohibition because of the sky high seven figure application cost just to ask the f.d.a. permission for one single product to remain on the market you have the prospect of one year from now four companies all of which sell cigarettes as well. they subsidize their science with the sales of products that kill people and all these small businesses are gone. >> let's go to our telephone lines and talk to michael who is calling from mississippi. caller: zpworninge. -- good morning. i don't remember if you remember me you came down and melt with representative thompson's office here in mississippi. i first want to say thank you for the advocacy and what you're doing for the industry. i cannot stress to you how important this industry is to

current smokers and former smokers as well, becausive thousands upon thousands of stories from customers who this has helped. what this has done so much for people that have no other -- hat have tried everything. it's guest: it's in the same drug category as caffeine. no -- if you ask the doctor it is not -- they don't want you to do anything. but if you lay a pack of cigarettes and a vape down in front of your doctor and you tell them i'm going to do one of these, you choose, every one of them will choose the vaporizer over a cigarette because they know they can't prove it because the science -- it hasn't been out long enough to do these lock term studies which we do need. but i f when i see every day people come in and say thank you for this, this has helped

me so much, i feel so much better. food tastes better. i smell better. my family can tell the difference in just the amount of energy i have because i'm not coating my lung with tar any more. host: it sounds like you sell e cigarettes. do you own a store or vaping shop? caller: i own a vape shop and i am a vaper as well. my wife quit using vaping about six years ago and she was a pack and a half a day smoker. guest: what's truly special about him i remember calling in greenville, mississippi one of the poorest areas where probably 20% plus of the adult population still smokes. especially in those areas of the country where certain areas are down to 10% and below those are the areas where tib cotobacco is truly -- big tobacco is killing people

host: ann in maryland. caller: first of all, i want to say that i know i'm talking bout i worked for nih. the chemicals that they put in cigarettes is what's killing everybody and the new gadgets vaping that's what's killing people. people need to roll their own. and another thing people should watch dr guest: don't smoke things in general. caller: hold it. god did not invent tobacco to kill us. as long as you do it moderately , they've been smoking tobacco for thousands of years. it started killing everybody when they started putting all those chemicals in it. secondly, people should watch a program a documentary called a

lf in sheep's clothing about so long ole inski. that's the truth about what's happening in this country. thank god for donald trump. one more thing you had hillary on this morning the show before this one. georgetown university was urchased in a private -- host: we're not exactly on topic there but let me let you respond. she seems to think rolling your own cigarettes would be safer. i think your argument is that no cigarette is safe. guest: certainly added chemicals to cigarette smoke as well as the fact they spike the nicotine in order to keep it consistent in order to get a big puff and makes you smoke more but ultimately inhaling smoke into your lungs many times a day is not a good idea and a t science including people who used to work at nih like the woman who called have stated that vaping is and

remains far less harmful than smoking. host: i have to bring up the fact that jule just announced that its replacing its current ceo with an executive from a tobacco company. if you are saying the two things are not really good, why would an e cigarette company bring in someone from a tobacco company? juul sold off part of their company to -- >> certainly life would be a lot easier if the large tobacco companies didn't get involved. but if you want to transform this industry, if you want to take us from 36 million american smokers down to 25 and in five years from now, you need those companies to be involved. the fact is as juul by their own actions to a certain extent are under attack and the current ceo or former ceo used

to run a yogurt company. hi knows how to expand but he did not know how to navigate the complex regulatory d.c. and the states. so we fear if you have a ceo they will take actions to try to kill small businesses. so not michael bloomberg. it will be the large tobacco companies at some point into the future. to : i want you to listen what h.h.s. secretary said. >> it also shows that the youth are drawn to flavored e cigarettes including mint and mentsdzol. currently, about 8 million adults use e cigarettes but five million children are using e cigarettes. this is exceptionally harmful to our children.

an entire generation of children risk becoming addicted to nicotine because of the attractiveness, appealability, and availability of these vaping products. so with the president's support, the food and drug administration intends to finalize a guidance document that would commence enforcement to require that all flavors other than tobacco flavor would be removed from the market. this would include mint and menthol flavoring as well as candy flavors, bubble gum flavor, fruit flavor, alcohol flavor, you get the drift. so once the f.d.a. would finalize this guidance we would begin enforcement actions to remove all such products from the marketplace.

we would allow tobacco flavoring to remain subject to their filing, the manufacturers of the tobacco flavored e cigarette products filing for pre-market tobacco approval with the food and drug administration. host: is that a fair statement by the h.h.s. secretary? guest: no because the secretary has long been opposed to vaping, never been interested in the topic except trying to ban it. when it comes to flavors yes youth do say that flavors are a driving factor. but the same is true for adults, especially adult smokers who have switched. very few have fully switched because it just reminds them how good an actual cigarette would taste. so what secretary is leaving out is what former commissioner has been talking about on twitter. not necessarily an e cigarette problem. it is a problem with high nicotine device that is can deliver a head high.

that's what youth are after. that's why the 2019 survey shows that mint is the most popular flavor among youth. the problem therein lies is that juul the product that delivers the head high if you misuse it, it is a fantastic product to get heavy adult smokers off cigarettes. what they're doing is saying men thol cigarettes, those aren't our problem. but vaping, we're going to remove 98% plus of the product on the market and we're not even going to do a study to determine how many smokers are going to relapse, how will this impact the number of smokers i want rested in switching to the product? three, when we have all these illnesses from black market cart ridges, all this is going to do is create a multibillion dollar black market and youth, just as they obtain alcohol, they will find products. host: let's go to james from

ohio. caller: good morning. i just want to say thank you for your tireless effort to defend the right to vapers across the united states. secondly, i want to echo what mr. connelly just said about the importance of flavors. in my state of ohio, we know consumers our adult ages 18 and up use flavored products. they do not want to use tobacco. another point, these kids are not using products like juul for the flavor. they're using it for the buzz. so we need to get those two misconceptions out in the open or those two facts out in the open. in ohio, since the talk of a flavor ban has been announced and all this issue with the illicit drug market we have lost over 23 stand alone brick

and mortar vape stores owned by small businesses. just think if we take a flavor bab nationwide. it is going to anileyate ab entire industry. have a huge impact of $24 billion and people will go back to smoking cigarettes. it's absolutely disgusting what we've seen from the c.d.c. in the last two months. guest: i don't think i could say it any better. what you're seeing is partially because of the lung illness scare. hopefully now that the c.d.c. sadse many most 77% plus of the people who have this lung illness admit to using thc base. there are multiple doctors and state heptsdz department representatives have given quote to the national press that many teens are reluctant to admit. but the news media unfortunately, up until hopefully the statement yesterday, will change things. but they've largely just said

vaping, e cigarettes. that's sent the message to the public finding that about twice as many americans 32% say thc vaping has zero to do with lung illnesses when the c.d.c. has been saying they play a role. so there's a misunderstanding and hopefully we can begin to correct it. you have adult smokers. they think if they pick up a juul -- zpwreat for adult smokers but bad for youth. they're not going to pick up a juul because i may go to the hospital. . at's a dangerous message host: i want to make sure i run that number by you. if the flavored e cigarettes are pulled off the market what will be the financial impact that you see on american industry? guest: assuming people do not

exploit loopholes, which is kind of the american way, if the government's saying you need to shut down or exploilt a loophole? civil disobedience is the great way to go. f every abided, you would have 10-14,000 vape shops across the country throws their doors. that's over 100,000 jobs that would be lost like that. so it's more than an economic issue even and more than a public health issue. it's also an election slu because with donald trump president trump he won states like michigan by 10, 15,000 votes. wisconsin. and there's 500,000 plus vapers in those states. as you hear from some callers they're angry. we've been trying to get through the message that this rather than helping is actually going to do great harm and could cost him reelection.

host: are you saying that if the government bans flavored e cigarettes that will cause people to vote against president trump? guest: more so stay at home. it will make people who already are inclined to believe that both parties don't give a damn about the american people, that will underscore that for them. you don't need 50% of adult vapers to be so angry that they decide to stay home or vote for a libertarian or vote for elizabeth warren. all they have to do is stay home. when you have people who switched to the products after years and years of smoking, they're so proud of themselves -- and they should be for getting off of cigarettes finally. then you have the republican president who campaigned on we're going to deregulate, we're going to fight bad regulations, we're not going to be like the obama administration was. you see that well on this issue they're all the same. they will stay home.

host: caller from virginia. good morning. caller: good morning. the traditional cigarettes, the secondhand smoke is harmful. as far as vaping products is the smoke harmful to people around them? guest: no. the vapeer produced by a vaping product, there was a professor, well respected tox colings and he published an extensive review on all the science of secondhand e cigarettes and his conclusion and he has a spernlt in pregnant women, is that the levels of exposure are so tiny in a room that there really is no worry. of course that doesn't mean that people should be rude. they shouldn't just blow clouds wherever they are. but we don't think that vaping bans telling businesses, they

can't allow people at a bar on midnight to vape instead of go outside and wake up neighbors to the bar, we don't think that's good policy. host: caller from florida. good morning. caller: good morning. first, i stopped smoking five years ago. i don't vape. i think any type of smoking is detriment to your health. secondly, only in america can companies make products that can be harmful to hurt or kill people all in the name of capitalism, all in the name of profit. guest: sir cigarettes are available in every country around the world. caller: that's not the issue. guest: the issue is cigarettes are killing people and we have the national academy, the f.d.a., all indicating that adult smokers who switch to the

product, the product is not risk free but far less harmful. and we want to make sure that when you have 50% of smokers on the trajectory until they've caught a disease and can't turn back -- we need to make sure they know that alternatives are not 100% safe but far less harmful. caller: that's not the issue. the issue is doing it. is doing it to our children. evidently you people don't care. guest: we doe care and we want to take measures but to lower youth vaping but when has prohibition ever worked? it didn't work for alcohol, marijuana, and will fail for flavored vaping products. let's do smart regulations like tobacco 12sh rather than prohibition. caller: so it's ok for a company to plo deuce products to hurt people right? guest: no and there's no evidence that they're hurting anyone. they are benefiting public health by helping 3 million plus adult smokers switch away

from cigarettes. host: let's go to richard from alabama. aller: good morning. first thank you for everything you do for the industry. guest: it is for to keep technology around for 36 million american smokers. but thank you. caller: absolutely. i will try to make i will try to make this quick i started smoking when i was 18. i smoked for 18 years. vaping and have been vaping since 2011. i have never felt better because i was smoking since i was eight years old.

this is a very helpful product. i cannot say that it is safe because we cannot say it is completely safe. but it is safer than smoking. guest: thank you for calling. what is truly remarkable is people who have smoked 30, 40, 50 years have scans where you can see the damage done by smoking. vaping, aswitch to long as they don't reach the point when they have copd and showt reverse it, studies there is the same lung harm reversal when you switch to vaping. that is what smokers need to know across this country. host: what is the next thing we should look for in this conversation? multiple governors are trying to ban the sale.

there are lawsuits and there will be more governors targeting these products even those they should be busting down the doors of drug dealers selling contaminated cartridges. host:

are you worried about in terms of russian intervention in 2020? >> i think it is really important for the american people to understand it has not stopped. this has been constant. they were very actively involved in 20, as we saw through hacking and stealing emails from the dnc. they tried to infiltrate our electoral system. they put out false information. and then they were very active on social media trying to pit

americans against each other over domestic issues of contention, whether it is race or immigration or guns or what have you. and their whole thing is to discredit our democracy, to cause people in this country to hate one another and turn against one another. and to try to weaken us from within. announcer: watch afterwards tonight at 9:00 eastern on book tv on c-span 2. ♪ >> campaign 2020. watch our live coverage of the presidential candidates on the campaign trail. c-span's campaign 2020. your unfiltered view of politics.