Economic Impact Argument #1 – [BILL] costs millions in lost productivity, and potential tax income

Good afternoon, My name is ______, I am a [STATE] taxpayer, former smoker of ____ years and a vapor of ___ years. I am here to voice my opposition to [BILL], because Vaping has vastly improved my health, and the health of many of my friends, and I can’t for the life of me understand why any fiscally responsible politician would want to ban it. Vapor products help smokers quit tobacco, a known killer – nothing more, nothing less. Tobacco will kill an estimated 500,000 citizens this year; regardless of your moral stance on nicotine, you have to accept those who choose to use it are still [STATE] tax payers, and enrich the state’s economy. It therefore stands to reason that [STATE] has at the very least, a vested fiscal interest in helping these individuals quit tobacco in favor of a less harmful alternative. Vapor products are the only products that have demonstrated a shred of efficacy in helping smokers quit, with even the American Heart Association publishing quit efficacy rates of 18%; compared to the 4-7% success rate of traditional NRT products. As a Taxpayer, I believe it would be fiscally irresponsible for the government to limit access to a product that will save lives, and, by doing so, enrich our economy. Not only will banning vapor devices result in a smaller tax base, it also will result in higher government spending. Last year, the state of [STATE] directly spent 95.6 MILLION dollars directly on tobacco related health care costs through their Medicaid programs. Making vapor devices easily accessible and useable, WILL result in more individuals switching to vapor, less tobacco related death and disease, and less government spending – restricting their use like [BILL] does will do the exact opposite. Health is more important than simply life and death, and quitting tobacco and vaping has vastly improved my productivity at work. This isn’t just my story, and it makes intuitive sense; a healthier workforce is a more productive work force. Beyond the intangible benefits of simply feeling healthier and having more energy, there is an immediate boost in productivity when a smoker switches to vapor. Speaking from experience, a pack a day smoker will take a cigarette break at least every 2 hours; considering it takes about 5 minutes to leave one’s work station, 10 minutes to smoke, and 5 minutes to return; by being allowed to vape at work, workers immediately gained a boost of 16% productivity, and again that doesn’t even touch on the fact that they simply feel better and are more efficient in their work. Worker productivity lost due to tobacco has also been quantified for the state of [STATE], and it’s a staggering 391.2 million dollars PER YEAR. That is a verified amount – again – 391 millions dollars a year is the cost to the State of [STATE] – in lost productivity due to smoking tobacco. Think about the benefits vaping provides, in getting millions of dollars back in gained productivity for the State of [STATE]. If you are at all concerned with fiscal responsibility, you will vote no on [BILL]. The simple fact is,  Vapor Devices help people quit tobacco, and people who quit tobacco pay more taxes, cost the state less, and contribute more to the overall economy.