After almost a decade of existence, the American Vaping Association, an advocacy group that stands for both the independent business and consumers, is set to shut down. AVA President Gregory Conley broke the news to supporters in a letter.
Since its founding in 2014, Conley has operated the AVA mostly alone, using it as a platform for his unwavering defense and justification of vaping. He established the AVA and himself as the authority when mainstream media was looking for the "vapers' point-of-view."
Conley stated in the parting letter that "even though this may be the end of AVA, our common goal remains; ensuring that smokers have access to safer alternatives." Though I anticipate difficult times ahead, I have hope for the future.
Conley accepted a position in 2022 as the American Vapor Manufacturers Association's (AVM) Director of Legislative and External Affairs, where he will continue to carry out comparable duties. Instead of acting as a sort of global ambassador for tobacco harm reduction, vape businesses, the technology itself, and the people who use it, he will now represent AVM members, which are primarily small and medium-sized vape firms.
Conley led rallies by vapers and business owners, fought anti-vaping campaigner Stanton Glantz on public radio, was interviewed by most major news networks as president of the American Vaping Association, and testified against restrictive vaping laws in dozens of state legislatures. Conley informed President Donald Trump during a listening session in the White House in 2019 that flavored nicotine vaping devices are beneficial for individuals attempting to stop smoking and were not the cause of the "EVALI" lung injury outbreak.
Conley and the owners of vape businesses created the AVA in 2014 in an effort to counteract the biased media coverage and disinformation attempts that the vaping industry experienced. Prior to then, he had been a member of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) since 2010, when he was still a law student at Rutgers University. He held the position of inaugural Legislative Director.
The Influence Foundation, which provides funding for the internet journal Filter, and CASAA will each get donations from the leftover AVA funds. Harm reduction is the focus of both groups.
Conley said today, "Looking ahead, the vaping industry—and the tobacco and nicotine industry as a whole—face enormous challenges, from complex regulatory obstacles to misinformation campaigns funded by billionaires." My continued work with the AVM is intended to tackle some of these issues head-on.
