Furious and need to vent

[steph77sings]

So, I've been perusing the threads about the problems between the FDA & e-cigs. And now I am furious. This is a little of what has been running through my mind about all this.
The FDA doesn't approve vitamins and herbal supplements, but they're distributed and widely used and generally safe. The FDA DOES approve many carcinogenic and/or harmful preservatives for use 'in small doses' (that supposedly don't accumulate) in food and cosmetics.
So now there's a ban being kicked around on the electronic version of what is essentally a nicotine inhaler. I thought, I better check out these inhalers if the e-cigs go away.... drugstore.com Online Pharmacy - Prescription Drugs, Health and Beauty, plus more
Yeah...holy crap. The prices are outrageous.
I'm not a bad person, I started smoking. And apparently I deserve to pay the price for my mistake. No help being given to quit, just come up with the money and hope it works. Sorry, I just needed to get this off my chest.

[TropicalBob]

Steph, there is no way I want e-cigs banned. They need testing, yes, but they need to continue to evolve and be sold during that test period. But know this: The high price you pay for many things includes the cost of research and the approval process. And that's true of the nicotine inhaler. Millions of dollars were spent to develop it and get it to market. It got FDA approval based on scientific tests and clinical trials.

The same is likely to be asked of e-cigs. They deliver nicotine, as the inhaler does, but have not been tested as the inhaler was, and e-product manufacturers did not apply for approval of the devices and/or liquid they use. That's why a ban is hanging over our heads.

There's certainly no proof these are dangerous. But the FDA needs proof that they are NOT. That's the way this legal game is played. No common sense allowed. No arguments about ingredients when the drug nicotine is in the mix. Clinical proof for a specific drug product is needed. That proof can only come from the makers. And it's not there.

I understand (and really hope) that some responsible makers are hard at work to obtain FDA approval for their products. If so, we will all be buying from them before long. I only hope that maker is not Philip Morris.

[steph77sings]

I guess I didn't think about that aspect and, yes, e-cig prices will go up once it is approved. I guess my anger is more specifically towards the unwillingness of the government or most insurance companies to help people quit smoking.

[Vicks Vap-oh-Yeah]

Originally Posted by steph77sings

I guess I didn't think about that aspect and, yes, e-cig prices will go up once it is approved. I guess my anger is more specifically towards the unwillingness of the government or most insurance companies to help people quit smoking.

But there's the rub.....this product technically doesn't help you "quit" smoking...it offers an alternative. I never plan to give up my PV. Many here feel the same way. That's why we're in the crossfire here, because this is a new recreational nicotine delivery system, and how DARE we enjoy our addiction.

[LaceyUnderall]

Originally Posted by steph77sings

I guess I didn't think about that aspect and, yes, e-cig prices will go up once it is approved. I guess my anger is more specifically towards the unwillingness of the government or most insurance companies to help people quit smoking.

It's also not a wonder that massages, acupuncture and alternative forms of therapy are not usually covered. Hell.. pregnancy isn't even covered on most insurance plans (unless you commit to not conceiving within a certain amount of time AND pay outrageous monthly payments).

Your anger is shared my dear. I see my ecig is an alternative to smoking tobacco and as someone who has really crappy insurance, but has it it just in case, it chaps my as* that I am also told what I can and cannot do when it comes to my health and the choices I make for a healthier me.

If we all stay level headed about this and turn our anger into passion, we can make a very valid argument that the e-cig is a very viable option and while some people do quit smoking totally, it does get people to stop burning something which does cause all of the massive health issues to those around the smoker and THAT alone is reason to keep it on the market until it is proven safe for the user. (vapor tests ARE coming and sooner than we think)

But, as TB has said, this has nothing to do with common sense.

[gashin]

The irony is that this inhaler probably uses propylene glycol as the delivery media - most medical inhalers do!

Originally Posted by steph77sings

So, I've been perusing the threads about the problems between the FDA & e-cigs. And now I am furious. This is a little of what has been running through my mind about all this.
The FDA doesn't approve vitamins and herbal supplements, but they're distributed and widely used and generally safe. The FDA DOES approve many carcinogenic and/or harmful preservatives for use 'in small doses' (that supposedly don't accumulate) in food and cosmetics.
So now there's a ban being kicked around on the electronic version of what is essentally a nicotine inhaler. I thought, I better check out these inhalers if the e-cigs go away.... drugstore.com Online Pharmacy - Prescription Drugs, Health and Beauty, plus more
Yeah...holy crap. The prices are outrageous.
I'm not a bad person, I started smoking. And apparently I deserve to pay the price for my mistake. No help being given to quit, just come up with the money and hope it works. Sorry, I just needed to get this off my chest.

[TropicalBob]

The questions by the FDA have nothing at all to do with PG. The inhaler is an approved medical device; e-cigs are not approved medical devices (which is what the FDA terms them).

[AnimeFur]

Anyone else thinking of the Transformers trail here?

Guilty or innocent?

Innocent!

<splash goes the innocent into the Sharkticon tank>

[Elle]

lol @ anime!

[Vocalek]

I just learned today that one of the things that kicked off the FDA product seizure was a petition sent to the FDA by the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) organization. I read their petition, and then zipped off this email to them:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: email09@ash.org


SUBJ: What about MY Nonsmoker's rights?


Your organization claims to be in support of nonsmoker's rights. I am a nonsmoker, as of 3/27/2009 and am having absolutely no ill effects. In fact, my health has improved tremendously. The wheezing has stopped. I no longer cough up thick globs of phlegm. I have much more stamina than before. My blood pressure is normal.

I tried for years to quit smoking cigarettes, but each time I totally gave up nicotine, I became very ill. I couldn't drive a car, couldn't work, I couldn't even read a newspaper. I was supposed to feel so much healther. Instead, I wished I were dead. This happened over and over to me, every time I totally abstained from nicotine.

I finally understand why nicotine is so "addictive" for me. I have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. I can't take the FDA-approved medications because they raise my heart rate and blood pressure.

What has allowed me to quit smoking and still have my brain function normally? The electronic cigarette. It provides adequate levels of nicotine to my brain. But, thanks to you, the FDA has seized incoming shipments and I may be forced to start smoking again.

Why should my choices be limited to smoking tobacco with all of its well-known health risks, or smoking nothing and not being able to function?

Your petition does NOT promote a "middle ground" as claimed. It demonizes the electronic cigarette and urges the FDA to totally ban them until they can be studied. *ahem* With all due respect, that is a "smoke screen." You know as well as I that even if the mom and pop outfits marketing these products could afford the millions of dollars required for an NDA, it would be years and years before an approved product is available. I'm 63 years old. I can't afford to wait.

So how about supporting MY RIGHTS TO REMAIN A NONSMOKER?





This is their snail mail contact info:
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
2013 H St., N.W., Wash. DC 20006
(202) 659-4310 // ash.org