428 Vape Companies Urge Fedex To Reverse Its Shipping Restrictions on Vaping Products

Almost a week ago, on July 12, 2021, 428 vaping companies delivered a letter to the CEO of FedEx with a simple plea to reverse the companies’ policy of no longer shipping or receiving vaping products. The letter, which was signed by e-liquid manufacturers, vape shops, and vape product distributors, states that FedEx restrictions on shipping will hurt hundreds of American small businesses and contribute to the death toll of smoking-related deaths. 

Gregory Conley, the man behind the letter, is the president of the American Vaping Association (AVA), whose job has been to safeguard the rights of vapers on a national level. In a recent press release, he stated that “FedEx is doing a great disservice to American small businesses and consumers,” adding that “they are playing right into the hands of Big Tobacco, which directly benefits from policies that make it more expensive for adult smokers to switch (to vaping).”

Vaping companies of all sizes have relied on carriers like FedEx, UPS, United States Postal Service, and DHL to supply, send, and receive vaping goods and e-cigarettes to both businesses and customers across the country, almost since the inception of the e-cigarette back in 2003. However, everything changed in 2020 when President Trump signed a COVID 19 relief bill, including a revision to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act.  

In the new revision to the PACT Act, it states that the United States Postal Service from now on would be prohibited from carrying and shipping electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as vaping products. This ban on shipping vaping products also led to private carriers like FedEx, UPS, and DHL to take the same stance, effectively wiping out the means of transportation for all vaping goods. 

Although there is no precise date on when the United States Postal Service will begin to enforce the new policy, the PACT Act has already been signed, so it’s only a matter of time before it takes effect, and vape companies around the country will no longer be able to use the United States Postal Service to deliver their electronic cigarettes and vape goods. 

The letter goes on to argue that because many vaping manufacturers are small mom-and-pop shops, they will lack the infrastructure that tobacco companies have of private distribution means:

“Because most vape retailers are small “mom-and-pop shops,” they do not have the ability to build in-house distribution networks like those utilized by Big Tobacco companies. As a result, the consequences of this decision are largely being borne by small, independent vape shops and our customers.”

Although there are smaller carriers that are willing to step in and support the industry, they will not only be more expensive, but they will lack the large infrastructure carriers like FedEx, and the United States Postal Service have, that makes them able to deliver to every corner of the country. Without these infrastructures, many people in rural areas will soon find themselves without access to vaping products and be affected by the vape shipping ban.

In the letter sent to FedEx, it states that “Without the option to order vaping products at wholesale or ship their products to consumers, vape stores have seen their shipping options skyrocket in cost or evaporate entirely.” The letter goes on to say that “If consumers are not able to access or afford these reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes, they will be forced to turn back to combustible tobacco, which is far more dangerous and will have life-long consequences on their health.”

In the letter, it also states that the decision of FedEx to stop delivering vaping products “will perpetuate another generation of smoking-related deaths – especially among underprivileged communities,” adding that:

“Minority and low-income communities smoke cigarettes at higher rates than white and more affluent populations. A prior study found that African Americans are the most likely demographic to use e-cigarettes as a tool to quit combustible tobacco. Another marginalized group that would be negatively impacted by this decision is the LGBTQ community, where cigarette smoking prevalence is over 5 percentage points higher than in the straight community. By increasing the cost and decreasing consumer access to vaping products, your blanket policy will result in more smoking, more disease, and more death.”

In these communities, and in rural parts of the country, which small carriers can’t access, vaping products will vanish, resulting in people going back to cigarettes that are readily available in gas stations and convenience stores.

The letter ends as follows “Our products are completely legal and subject to FDA oversight, but more than that, they save lives. Please resume shipping operations for vaping products so that we can partner with your company to help smokers quit and small businesses thrive.”