I need your help!!!

[pagn8or]

this is a bump

[jamie]

I have just been added to the agenda to raise awarness about e-cigarettes with my citys council, i need your help in coming up with a bullet point poresentation of things i should mention.

im not going to be saying they are an aid to quit but a replacement.

my only goal is to get this information to the chief of police who can then tell his officers that they are not drug paraphaneilia or a cigarette.

i was told by a commisioner that i would need to come up with about 8 bullet points i would need to talk about.

what would you guys reccomend i mention.

Much of this thread befuddles me. I'm hoping the OP isn't carrying a bucket of naivete. I might be overly-projecting here. These are my random thoughts while reading the thread.


City Council meetings are not the usual route for the public to communicate with a police chief. Normally it would be the other way round on this type of matter. The Chief of Police, if questioned by the council, informs them of the law, as was done here.

The last thing I would want is a bunch of council folk interpreting a presentation and giving cops their third-hand imitation of what they heard. Will the chief and other officers be at the meeting to see/hear directly for themselves? If not, the normal route would be to meet directly with the chief or a senior officer who meets with the public on behalf of the chief. If your local police precinct advised you otherwise - okay, that would be a new one on me!

The above could be all wrong if you have a local smoking ordinance that was written and passed by this city council and it's all under their control. But you did not say your goal involved such dealings.

-----

If the council does not have a tight schedule you could find yourself being the target of questions you don't necessarily want to answer in this setting, such as a 15 minute public discussion about whether or not kids can buy these online cuz that's what somebody heard, and where do you buy yours, and do you feel it's really safe, and I read that the FDA banned them or will you still use them if the FDA bans them, do people in jail get to use these and how do any smoking bans in your area apply and what happens if kids are caught using them in class... Perhaps the commissioner you talked with is supporting you? and will set a supportive tone for your presentation and manage any discussion to that end or cut off discussion on your topic all together.

Many cities video all their council meetings and some broadcast them on community cable. Does yours? If so, are you comfortable that there is benefit in a [repeated] local tv broadcast of your eliquid demonstration?

Your location is listed as Kentucky so there is potential of tobacco industry presence also, either at the meeting or other monitoring of city council activity.

-----

Many of the responses read like you should sell the city council on ecigs, as though they have to provide some manner of consent. I not only disagree, I think it's dangerous to give that impression. (see previous disclaimer!) Your average city council spends too much time dwelling on things that s/b none of their concern, esp. if they've been granted even a whiff of the notion that it might be their concern. Same with local "hard-core" public who attend council meetings looking for things to disagree with.

The 'aid to quit' vs. 'replacement' - this issue is irrelevant to anything beyond official ecig company marketing and internal FDA regulations. It isn't something ecig users have to repeat like a mantra whenever someone asks us about ecigs (which is how people talk of late on this forum).

-----

All that said... Props to you for trying to help your community deal with vaping. Seriously. Whatever you do I hope it goes as well as it possibly can. Clearly you are doing your best to prepare and that's what I wish here, the best experience for you.

[revdrlon]

yes, there is in fact a smoking ban, i probably should have mentioned that. i really apreciate the help that you guys have givin me and there is a lot of good ideas. i really dont want to leave out the fda stuff, i dont want to be the guy who is all pro and no con, i would prefer they hear the cons from me as well so they dont sound as bad as they woukd from somebody else.

[Duckies]

Is that true? Where did you find that? That's my biggest concern (although not big enough to make me quit) with PV's.

~~Cheryl

My doc and my pharmacist.

[lordmage]

*SJ breaks a cardinal forum rule"

It may be worth mentioning that there is little chance of the e-cigarette being used to consume illicit drugs - since it's a police audience?

Well its your forum your intitled to change your mind...

In my city i work closly with the PD and even have a few vaping along side me and even have approval from the director.

SJ brings up a point but i would further the point by state those that do are doing so with out the help of the community and have taken it upon themselfs to pevert the device.

[Blue Knight Max]

As a retired Police Officer (after 20 years), I can tell you pretty much the following:

When it comes to power point presentations...we have a short attention span especially if they do not want to be there. KISS. Keep It Short and Sweet. No more than 20 minutes.

Here is what the cops will want to know:

1. Is it a drug delivering device?
2. Can it be used AS a drug delivering device?
3. Has the FDA banned it or approved of it?
4. Is it violating any written law, rule, regulation or violation?
5. ARE YOU AN AUTHORITY ON E-CIGS/VAPORIZERS? WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS? WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? ARE YOU AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD?

If you can not come up with any "Professional" credentials with regards to # 5 other than "I'm just a user", Good Luck! Many times, these Chiefs and Commissioners are very short on time and if you don't have any "credentials" they are going to wonder why you are wasting their time unless you were asked by someone with credentials within the department to do it.

Remember, you are not marketing the e-cig. You need to focus on awareness and whether or not it is violating any local, state or federal laws.

I have done MANY presentations to upper management, chiefs and commissioners durring my day.

You can start your presentation by vaping one in front of them. Make sure it is a pre-filled cartridge. Do not drip in front of them.

The you can introduce yourself and the reason why you are there that day (To raise e-cig or personal vaporizer awareness)

State that it is a smoking alternative used by millions of people across the globe.

Demonstrate how it works. Have several e-cigs ready to pass around.

Note that it does not violate any known smoking laws. Make sure you know the local smoking ban law inside and out PRIOR to your presentation and prove that because it contains no tobacco or "Smoke" it does not violate the smoking ban. Please note, in some areas, the smoking ban includes "anything that produces vapor" Example: NYC Transit System has a rule on the books that mentions "vapor" under it's no smoking rule and regualtions.

Demonstrate how some users refill and drip which is why those that do usually carry alot of juice and other things like syringes.

Have your contact information (Business card) ready to hand out incase anyone needs to reach out to you at a later time.

What ever you do, do not let them in on what is going on in the e-cig industry with regards to FDA banning, China being unregulated etc.

What Police Departments will be most concerned about is whether or not it violates any laws. There are people out there that will call and complain whether or not we are right or wrong for vaping inside a public place and the Police need to know how to handle the situation.

Cops are not drug experts or pharmacists. If any of our juices look like what appears to be a liquid drug of some sort, they will confiscate it and send it to the lab for further testing. That's why it is ideal to always carry your juices in the labeled bottles it comes with.

Last but not least, BE READY TO ANSWER HARD CORE QUESTIONS. They will not care about it being a "smoking alternative" or the fact that it can save many lives. All they will be concerned about is what they can come up with to make a collar (an arrrest). Be ready for the questions. I know. We are all made from the same mold. Then again, you might get lucky and actually find a few that are actually interested and may even want one of their own. But if you are dealing with upper management, be prepared. Many times, they have their minds made up even before the presentation and the presentation is nothing but a formality for them just to say that "Yes" they did see the presentation.

I wish you alot of luck and if you need more guidance, do not hesitate to PM me.

Max

[LuckyCharm]

NYC Transit System has a rule on the books that mentions "vapor" under it's no smoking rule and regualtions.

Really??? So you couldn't use an inhaler on the bus there, either?

~~Cheryl

[Letzin Hale]

As a retired Police Officer (after 20 years), I can tell you pretty much the following:

When it comes to power point presentations...we have a short attention span especially if they do not want to be there. KISS. Keep It Short and Sweet. No more than 20 minutes.

Here is what the cops will want to know:

1. Is it a drug delivering device?
2. Can it be used AS a drug delivering device?
3. Has the FDA banned it or approved of it?
4. Is it violating any written law, rule, regulation or violation?
5. ARE YOU AN AUTHORITY ON E-CIGS/VAPORIZERS? WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS? WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? ARE YOU AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD?

If you can not come up with any "Professional" credentials with regards to # 5 other than "I'm just a user", Good Luck! Many times, these Chiefs and Commissioners are very short on time and if you don't have any "credentials" they are going to wonder why you are wasting their time unless you were asked by someone with credentials within the department to do it.

Remember, you are not marketing the e-cig. You need to focus on awareness and whether or not it is violating any local, state or federal laws.

I have done MANY presentations to upper management, chiefs and commissioners durring my day.

You can start your presentation by vaping one in front of them. Make sure it is a pre-filled cartridge. Do not drip in front of them.

The you can introduce yourself and the reason why you are there that day (To raise e-cig or personal vaporizer awareness)

State that it is a smoking alternative used by millions of people across the globe.

Demonstrate how it works. Have several e-cigs ready to pass around.

Note that it does not violate any known smoking laws. Make sure you know the local smoking ban law inside and out PRIOR to your presentation and prove that because it contains no tobacco or "Smoke" it does not violate the smoking ban. Please note, in some areas, the smoking ban includes "anything that produces vapor" Example: NYC Transit System has a rule on the books that mentions "vapor" under it's no smoking rule and regualtions.

Demonstrate how some users refill and drip which is why those that do usually carry alot of juice and other things like syringes.

Have your contact information (Business card) ready to hand out incase anyone needs to reach out to you at a later time.

What ever you do, do not let them in on what is going on in the e-cig industry with regards to FDA banning, China being unregulated etc.

What Police Departments will be most concerned about is whether or not it violates any laws. There are people out there that will call and complain whether or not we are right or wrong for vaping inside a public place and the Police need to know how to handle the situation.

Cops are not drug experts or pharmacists. If any of our juices look like what appears to be a liquid drug of some sort, they will confiscate it and send it to the lab for further testing. That's why it is ideal to always carry your juices in the labeled bottles it comes with.

Last but not least, BE READY TO ANSWER HARD CORE QUESTIONS. They will not care about it being a "smoking alternative" or the fact that it can save many lives. All they will be concerned about is what they can come up with to make a collar (an arrrest). Be ready for the questions. I know. We are all made from the same mold. Then again, you might get lucky and actually find a few that are actually interested and may even want one of their own. But if you are dealing with upper management, be prepared. Many times, they have their minds made up even before the presentation and the presentation is nothing but a formality for them just to say that "Yes" they did see the presentation.

I wish you alot of luck and if you need more guidance, do not hesitate to PM me.

Max

A lot of good advice but Max has it spot on.
One question, why the Njoy?
Alan.

"NJOY emits what appears to be smoke but is actually a virtually odorless mist that evaporates into the air within seconds, similar to the functioning of a humidifier. NJOY leaves no visual residue in the air or lingering smell in clothes, home or car, whereas traditional smoking can leave an unsightly, acrid cloud known to irritate eyes and bother people's senses."

[LuckyCharm]

One question, why the Njoy?

If you mean the quote I pulled off their website, it's because it was a direct quote and I wanted to reproduce it faithfully. But of course the presenter would have wanted to paraphrase it as desired if he decided to highlight those points in his presentation.

~~Cheryl

[Blue Knight Max]

Really??? So you couldn't use an inhaler on the bus there, either?

~~Cheryl

An Asthma inhaler/pump produces a mist that is inhaled. Not vapor that you exhale.

NYC Transit Subways and buses, the No Smoking Rule states anything and everything that produces smoke or vapor. Cigarettes, e-cigs, incense sticks etc.

Do we see people doing it in the subways anyway, yes, but when they caught, they get a summons for what I believe is the fine now for anywhere from $75.00 to $100.00 bucks.

If they have "No ID", they get locked up.