78
TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
MARCH/APRIL 2016
L
ike many in the vapor industry,
Tony Abboud,national legislative
director of the newly formed
Vapor Technology Association (VTA),
is alarmed by what he sees. “We have a
concerted effort among groups that are
hostile to vapor products—for reasons
that are somewhat unbeknownst to us—
to categorize this product like any other
tobacco product when it is, in fact, quite
different,” he says. “One of the reasons
we felt it necessary to start VTA is to
counteract that message.”
That sentiment echoes a frustration
that many in the vapor industry are
feeling as they brace for regulation
that could well mean the demise
of the majority of vapor products
currently on the market—and of
manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers
whose businesses depend on them. As
everyone following the issue knows,
VTA: Promising the Vapor
Industry a Fresh Perspective
The newly formed Vapor Technology Association pledges
to advocate for emerging vapor technologies.
By Jennifer Gelfand