Goodbye, CASAA: U.S. Consumer THR Group Will Shut Down

The Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) will wind down operations and end its work this summer. The group has been advocating for tobacco harm reduction (THR) since 2009.

On May 27, an email to CASAA members from the group’s executive director Alex Clark announced that CASAA would cease its legislative advocacy work by the end of August. He said that the group would use some of its remaining funds to maintain its website.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a CASAA member since 2013, and joined the CASAA board of directors in 2018. Like everyone on the board, I have received no financial compensation for my work. 

CASAA represents nicotine consumers only, not industry

CASAA launched in October 2009 as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization, organized largely by vapers to advocate against efforts by the FDA and tobacco control organizations to limit the availability of vaping products. 

Since then, CASAA has organized consumer opposition to restrictive laws, commented on policy issues, sent representatives to speak at hearings and public gatherings, and collected thousands of testimonials from consumers who used reduced-harm nicotine products.

Along the way, CASAA inspired vapers in other countries to form consumer organizations, and was a founding member of the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO).

Due at least in part to CASAA-organized consumer opposition to proposed state and local laws, hundreds of potentially damaging bills and ordinances have been stopped across the country since 2009. 

Some other CASAA accomplishments include:

• CASAA members funded the first major study on e-cigarette toxicology, published in 2013 by Prof. Igor Burstyn of the Drexel University School of Public Health
• Published the Historical Timeline of Vaping and Electronic Cigarettes and numerous other educational features on its website CASAA.org 
• Filed amicus curiae briefs in support of lawsuits challenging the FDA
• Published regular blogs, podcasts and video streams to inform vapers and other nicotine consumers about current events and issues
• Submitted comments on numerous rules proposed by the FDA
• Been quoted in numerous newspaper and TV stories 

Despite frequently being described as a vaping or tobacco industry organization, CASAA represents only consumers of reduced-harm nicotine products. That mostly means vapers, but also includes a significant number of people who use snus and smokeless tobacco, nicotine pouches, and even some users of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products like nicotine gum and lozenges. 

CASAA’s mission statement reads: “Ensure the availability of a variety of effective, affordable, reduced-harm alternatives to smoking. As a consumer advocacy nonprofit organization, CASAA’s work is dedicated to empowering consumers and representing their interests in various legislative, policy-making, and rule-making arenas.”

Of course, CASAA has worked closely with vaping industry groups—especially state-level groups that represent manufacturers and vape shops—to keep track of legislative threats. But the organization has never represented the industry, and has never supported laws that favor one kind of vaping or nicotine product over another. 

Same old story: the money ran out

Currently CASAA has about 250,000 members—people who have joined to receive notifications when proposed laws and regulations threaten to pass in their state or city, to express opinions on proposed bills through CASAA’s calls to action, and some who support CASAA’s mission enough to donate.

CASAA currently receives about $2,000 a month from consumer donors, but in order to run as a professional advocacy group, CASAA needs at least $10,000 a month, and ideally more. In recent years, the slack has been picked up by donations from businesses—mostly large tobacco companies.

However, CASAA’s refusal to support (or at least ignore) the tobacco industry's attempts to control the vaping market through PMTA registry laws and similar legislation has led to funding from this source drying up (with the exception of Philip Morris International’s continued donations).

Without funding, CASAA is unable to pay for the software necessary to track legislation and target communications to members. It has also been unable to pay CEO Alex Clark—the only paid full-time employee CASAA has ever had—since last summer. Clark has been CEO since 2017.

Finally, a personal observation

Winding down and closing a non-profit organization is itself a complicated job (although I haven’t done any of the actual work), but bringing to an end what has been a labor of love for all involved is a truly miserable endeavor. 

For me, there is some guilt over the board being unable to secure funding to continue. None of us showed any talent for fundraising, and ultimately we were unable to acquire the necessary dollars.

The misery, for me, has been somewhat mitigated by pride in CASAA and its people, who have remained true to the organization’s mission despite encountering obstacles that eventually made it impossible to continue. 

Vapers and other nicotine consumers deserve an organization to represent them. It’s sad that CASAA will no longer be able to do it.