UPDATE: US Senate Panel Approves FDA Tobacco-Regulation Measure

[Caesarea]

Thanks for the links - they seem fine now.

C

[MlrGrl]

I just hope it's still not too late. Yes, it passed the HELP commitee, but not the senate. What else can we do to get through to those senate members that don't even recognize the harm it will have on tobacco reduction items such as the PV? Can we go slap some sense into them? Please?

Actually, I'm really suprised that the vote was so close, 15 - 8. Four more votes against, and it would have failed.

Believe it or not, it's as easy as picking up your phone.

CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR!
It's painless! It's easy! and believe it or not, the phone call is normally free! =)

All you have to do is call your Senator's office.
Someone answers the phone and you just say:
"Hello! I would like to know what Senator Smith's position is on SB 123"

She will either say s/he's for, against or undecided.

"I would like him to vote against the HELP bill....."

She should take down your name and address and tell you she'll pass along your concerns.

Of course, this is a very crash course as I'm running shot on time right now, but you get the jist of if.

They want your name and address 'cause they will normally send out a letter about it.

Above all else: BE NICE WHEN YOU CALL! It's normally just an intern answering the phones and all they do is take your message. No sense in getting them mad or upsetting them; they are not the Senator! LOL
(believe it or not, many people call and are rude to those poor kids....)

Trust me; if enough people call their senator, it WILL GO YOUR WAY!!
Here in WI, twice now do to the 'power of the people", the public calling our state senators and/or assembly men have have things go our way when things seemed very bleak.

I'm sorry if this is a repeat, but I haven't read through all the posts yet.

Bottom line; every member of legal voting age in your house: CALL!
Every person you know that wants you to continue e-cigs: CALL!!

IF EVERY PERSON ON THIS FORUM CALLED THEIR SENATORS, WE CAN GET THIS TO GO OUR WAY!!

for an added bonus - have your family & friends call to!

[TropicalBob]

Reiterating concerns in my May 7 letter, S. 982 will cause the deaths of millions of more cigarette smokers (primarily Marlboro smokers) unless amended to truthfully inform smokers that cigarettes are 100 times deadlier than smokefree tobacco/nicotine products (including dissolvable tobacco lozenges, snus and electronic cigarettes) and to allow smokers access to these less hazardous products. Switching from cigarettes to smokefree tobacco/nicotine alternatives reduces smoker's health risks nearly as much as quitting all tobacco/nicotine use, and millions of smokers have already sharply reduced their health risks by switching to smokefree alternatives.

Dissolvable smokefree tobacco lozenges are nearly identical to GlaxoSmithKline's dissolvable nicotine lozenges (marketed for smoking cessation). While some Senators grandstanded yesterday against tobacco products that comprise less than 1% of the market share and/or are no longer on the market, nobody expressed concerns that GSK About Commit Lozenge: Stop Smoking Medicine has been marketing nearly identical nicotine lozenges in Cappuccino, Cherry and Mint flavors.

Excellent letter, Bill. These are critical points for me. I'm not a child , but I use dissolvables (and have almost from the first Stonewall dissolvable from Star Scientific), snus and my e-cigs to stay off a cigarette habit I had for 50 years. I'm not interested in cheerleading for one. Smokers trying to quit need a choice of any/all harm reduction alternatives.

I've not read those amendments, so am unfamiliar with their intents. My hair would fly straight up if Internet ordering is threatened. I guess I'll wait for the final bill.

[LuckyCharm]

This stuff just makes my head spin. Bottom line, are we okay or not (so far)?

~~Cheryl

[TropicalBob]

Good news: We're not dead.

Bad news: We can now see the gallows.

We do not want that bill to become law. We also do not want the FDA to declare our product a new drug and our devices as drug-delivery devices. That would mean a full ban for a loooong time.

To keep e-smoking legal, it might be necessary to get the Senate bill defeated and to have SE win its court case against the FDA.

Then we can take one step back and look at the gallows from there.

The gallows aren't going anywhere, you know.

[RandallFlagg]

Good news: We're not dead.

Bad news: We can now see the gallows.

We do not want that bill to become law. We also do not want the FDA to declare our product a new drug and our devices as drug-delivery devices. That would mean a full ban for a loooong time.

To keep e-smoking legal, it might be necessary to get the Senate bill defeated and to have SE win its court case against the FDA.

Then we can take one step back and look at the gallows from there.

The gallows aren't going anywhere, you know.

There is another way.
Expose the political donations made to the elected jackasses who are trying to get this abomination passed. Expose their agendas for what they are.

[TropicalBob]

Not a chance. Be realistic. Expose to whom?

You want to help? Write your state's senators a calm, reasonable letter or make a calm, reasonable phone call that does elude to ineptness, kickbacks, payoffs, past mistakes or being in bed with anyone!

We can win on reason or die by threat. Your choice.

[RandallFlagg]

No threats, and expose to voters.
Calm and reasonable has resulted in decades of smokers being the last, safe target of bigotry and, "Back of the bus," treatment.
This bill has money written all over it.
Tobacco users have been the canaries in the coal mine. They will not stop at this.

Quoted from the article: "Many Senate Republicans objected to giving the FDA power to regulate tobacco, saying that the agency is already hard-pressed to perform its drug-safety mission."
What will be next if this passes will be yet another increase on tobacco taxes to help fund the FDA's new requirements. And we all know that every dime sent to the government goes toward the area that it's assigned. Right?

Right?

Bueller?

[NY JETS]

Maybe Michael Moore can do a documentary on e-cigs?

[LuckyCharm]

Maybe Michael Moore can do a documentary on e-cigs?

I heart Michael Moore, but his reputation is that of a left-wing extremist. Still, could it hurt? I am willing to write to him to suggest such a project, but only if it wouldn't hurt our cause.

~~Cheryl