Americans: do you really want to protect your right to vape?

[critterbug]

oh, I'm all about setting up a nonprofit, but there are problems with lobbying as a nonprofit.

[critterbug]

Here are a few things - does anyone have a collection of articles or statements on either a state or federal level that address pvs? How many studies have been done to truly show that pvs are a safer nic delivery method than cigs (other than just saying "well, obviously...") or at least as safe as other FDA approved NRTs?

While it may not be feasible atm to get a lab to study the vapor, I think some undegrad senior chemists with the right resources and supervision could study the secondhand vape effects.

Anyway, I'd be happy to draft some articles/letters and collect info we have and put it on a website. But to be honest I don't have enough info and I won't write letters until I have a good respectable foundation. I think I did find an international article on the safety of ecigs as compared with cigs, but it did not go into depth. Anyone have a collection of such stuff?

[markarich159]

How about the Chinese companies that are making the real money off e-cig sales, along with the ECA(the majority of Suppliers), start digging in their pockets and funding some research through US Universities or Research institutions to, at the very least , get some peer reviewable safety data(I'm not talking about drug approval studies-just safety studies) out in the general medical/scientific community. I mean the USA is the the biggest market on the planet, it would be in their best interest to do this. Any other foreign company with a similar product would/should have done that from the start. This is how it normally works!!! The consumers aren't the ones that are ususally forced to pay for the initial product R&D or Governmental safety compliance studies(i.e via the FDA, USDA, FCC, FTC etc...) If the suppliers(foreign or domestic) would have thought of this from the start, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.

[Stubby]

How about the Chinese companies that are making the real money off e-cig sales, along with the ECA(the majority of Suppliers), start digging in their pockets and funding some research through US Universities or Research institutions to, at the very least , get some peer reviewable safety data(I'm not talking about drug approval studies-just safety studies) out in the general medical/scientific community. I mean the USA is the the biggest market on the planet, it would be in their best interest to do this. Any other foreign company with a similar product would/should have done that from the start. This is how it normally works!!! The consumers aren't the ones that are ususally forced to pay for the initial product R&D or Governmental safety compliance studies(i.e via the FDA, USDA, FCC, FTC etc...) If the suppliers(foreign or domestic) would have thought of this from the start, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.

The ECA doe not represent the majority of suppliers. As far as I can tell it has no more then 9 members. Just look at the long list of suppliers at the bottom of the forum page. I wonder how many of those suppliers have given a penny to any research or lobbying for e-cigs. When I first got into e-cigs and was watching the how-to videos from the suppliers I was taken back by what I was seeing. They all looked like they had just stumbled out of bed after a long hard night on the town. Not the type of people I would trust with my kids, or my e-liquid. The failure of the ECA to attract more suppliers and manufactures doesn't give my any confidence in the future of e-cigs.

[martha1014]

I think most of the suppliers (espeically the more popular ones) have made enough money off of selling ecigs and supplies. They should we willing to donate money toward this effort. I would be willing to donate a reasonable amount of money. Most people can afford a small donation since we are all saving money by vaping instead of smoking.

[JustMeAgain]

Having been active in the smokers' rights movement (and an early-adopter of harm-reduction strategies), I think it is fair to say that I've seen this movie before.

Smokers' rights movement? How did that turn out?

[markarich159]

The ECA doe not represent the majority of suppliers. As far as I can tell it has no more then 9 members.

Yeah, you're right, but they're the big one's or at least the ones that are capitalized to the greatest extent.

Just look at the long list of suppliers at the bottom of the forum page. I wonder how many of those suppliers have given a penny to any research or lobbying for e-cigs. When I first got into e-cigs and was watching the how-to videos from the suppliers I was taken back by what I was seeing. They all looked like they had just stumbled out of bed after a long hard night on the town. Not the type of people I would trust with my kids, or my e-liquid.

You're again, correct and I couldn't agree more. Common sense regulation in the industry would keep the fly-by-nighters out(who are just looking to make a quick, high-margin buck, with little to no personal investment, off a completely unregulated mish-mosh ; and don't give a crap about product safety or quality control or assurance). Only the serious businessmen who are willing to make a long term investment in a serious, legitimate, quality assured industry would flourish.

The failure of the ECA to attract more suppliers and manufactures doesn't give my any confidence in the future of e-cigs.

I believe this will change when and if the industry is ever legally legitimized through common sense regulation. Real serious businesspersons don't want to invest their capital in an industry that has no legal standing.

[jj2]

The original poster is probably right. Money talks. That makes me very sad indeed---having to bribe our representatives into doing the right thing.
Purchasing power and the power of the consumer is a strong thing too and if ecigs get big enough world wide, there is no stopping it. In fact it's big enough now I don't think there is any shutting it down.

[JoeMcPlumber]

I'm no fan of the ECA but i was thinking about posting a proposal for member vendors to impose a pseudo-tax on their sales, payable directly to whichever politicians need to be purchased.

But that's before i saw that the ECA doesn't have much of a constituency. If all vendors offered a standard donation, (a percentage, like a sales tax), on their check-outs, i'd pay it. But then there'd need to be some accountability, to be sure the money was going to where they said it was.

Also according to Dr. Michael Siegal, our national programs for low-income child health care are dependent upon taxes from analog sales, and that's why politicians aren't keen on seeing tobacco sales in decline. Make of that what you will, but if we could find a way to collectively help offset that revenue loss, (like e.g., donations to child health charities), it'd be good PR and that always helps.

- joe

[tescela]

oh, I'm all about setting up a nonprofit, but there are problems with lobbying as a nonprofit.

It looks like the nonprofit organization for this already exists: CASAA

CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association

Welcome to CASAA - Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association