Hi all,
Periodically we ask that our members spend a few minutes doing some campaigning to ensure that e-cigarettes are available to all who need or want them.
Today is such a time.
The FDA has long fought a battle to prevent you from accessing e-cigs. Up to now they've been thwarted by legal decisions and the hard campaigning work done by CASAA and others.
Recently, the FDA held a public hearing (Dec 17 2012) which was attended by members of CASAA, ECF members and public health professionals. The testimony from this will be used as input for a report to Congress, required by the tobacco Act - in addition, written comments will also be used providing they are received by Jan 16th 2013 - this is where, you, ECF members come in.
Please, take some time to submit your comments, either electronically or by post (ideally both). It cannot be overstated how important these submissions are, and this is your opportunity to make a real difference to the future of vaping in the United States.
CASAA have issued a call to action, which I recommend you read. For convenience sake, I will copy here their suggestions for content as well as details of how to submit your comments.
Submitting
Electronically: Regulations.gov - Choose the "Comment Now!" button at the top.
Please note that you are limited to 2000 characters, so you may want upload a file instead. I suggest you prepare your document in a wordprocessor, and if it runs less than 2000 characters, cut and past into the comment box. If over 2000, save the file and upload it via the "choose file" button on the comments page.
In the "enter information" fields, please enter "individual" for organization, and select "individual consumer" from the category field (it's the last one on the list) - unless you are representing an organization, of course!
By Mail: Please send to
Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305),
Food and Drug Administration,
5630 Fishers Lane,
Rm. 1061, Rockville,
MD 20852.
Make sure to Identify your written submission comments with the docket number [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1148]. I suggest using a cover page, as well as a header on each page, and also mark the Docket No. on the envelope.
Comment Suggestions
1. Describe your history as a smoker: When did you start? How long did you smoke? How much did you smoke?
2. Describe your quitting attempts: How many times did you try to quit? What different products and methods did you try? What did you like and dislike about the products or methods you tried?
3. If you stopped smoking completely some time in the past and experienced problems such as feeling depressed and/or anxious, getting along with others, concentrating, remembering, etc. describe those experiences.
4. Describe the effects switching to e-cigarettes has had on how much you smoke now.
5. Describe the health effects you have experienced as a result of switching to e-cigarettes (and/or snus).
6. Tell the FDA that there should not be any time limit on using NRTs, but that it would be better to raise the amount of nicotine each piece provides than to have people use multiple types of products.
7. Tell the FDA that innovative products such as e-cigarettes should not be made less effective by setting nicotine doses too low.
8. If you use e-liquid (or snus) that has a pleasant flavor added (such as fruit, candy, beverage), tell the FDA that this has helped you and describe how.
9. Urge the FDA to not propose the "deeming" regulation because it would ban e-cigarettes, and would sharply increase the price and reduce accessibility of the products even if FDA exempted e-cigarettes from the most onerous provisions in Chapter IX.
10. Ask the FDA to remove text from its web site that is inaccurate and/or misleading.
· For example, many people believe that e-cigarettes are very likely to cause cancer or poison the user because the FDA “forgot” to mention that the amount of carcinogens detected in liquid are no higher than in pharmaceutical nicotine products such as the patch and gum, and that the only toxin detected was in an amount that has never been shown to endanger health.
· Many people that might have switched to snus, which is much less hazardous to health than smoking, but they were convinced to continue smoking instead by the misleading statement “This product is not a safe alternative to smoking.
Many thanks to Elaine, Kristin and all the other members of CASAA who have done so much to ensure that vapers can continue to use electronic cigarette products. Let's hope the FDA sees sense and realises that ecigs and other harm reduction products are an essential part in the battle against smoking related harm. And let's also hope that your right to choose is not trampled on by a body that is not acting in your best interests.
Please, act now.
see also: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...mit-written-comments-sec-918-tobacco-act.html
Edit: Adding new link
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=FDA-2012-N-1148
Periodically we ask that our members spend a few minutes doing some campaigning to ensure that e-cigarettes are available to all who need or want them.
Today is such a time.
The FDA has long fought a battle to prevent you from accessing e-cigs. Up to now they've been thwarted by legal decisions and the hard campaigning work done by CASAA and others.
Recently, the FDA held a public hearing (Dec 17 2012) which was attended by members of CASAA, ECF members and public health professionals. The testimony from this will be used as input for a report to Congress, required by the tobacco Act - in addition, written comments will also be used providing they are received by Jan 16th 2013 - this is where, you, ECF members come in.
Please, take some time to submit your comments, either electronically or by post (ideally both). It cannot be overstated how important these submissions are, and this is your opportunity to make a real difference to the future of vaping in the United States.
CASAA have issued a call to action, which I recommend you read. For convenience sake, I will copy here their suggestions for content as well as details of how to submit your comments.
Submitting
Electronically: Regulations.gov - Choose the "Comment Now!" button at the top.
Please note that you are limited to 2000 characters, so you may want upload a file instead. I suggest you prepare your document in a wordprocessor, and if it runs less than 2000 characters, cut and past into the comment box. If over 2000, save the file and upload it via the "choose file" button on the comments page.
In the "enter information" fields, please enter "individual" for organization, and select "individual consumer" from the category field (it's the last one on the list) - unless you are representing an organization, of course!
By Mail: Please send to
Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305),
Food and Drug Administration,
5630 Fishers Lane,
Rm. 1061, Rockville,
MD 20852.
Make sure to Identify your written submission comments with the docket number [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1148]. I suggest using a cover page, as well as a header on each page, and also mark the Docket No. on the envelope.
Comment Suggestions
1. Describe your history as a smoker: When did you start? How long did you smoke? How much did you smoke?
2. Describe your quitting attempts: How many times did you try to quit? What different products and methods did you try? What did you like and dislike about the products or methods you tried?
3. If you stopped smoking completely some time in the past and experienced problems such as feeling depressed and/or anxious, getting along with others, concentrating, remembering, etc. describe those experiences.
4. Describe the effects switching to e-cigarettes has had on how much you smoke now.
5. Describe the health effects you have experienced as a result of switching to e-cigarettes (and/or snus).
6. Tell the FDA that there should not be any time limit on using NRTs, but that it would be better to raise the amount of nicotine each piece provides than to have people use multiple types of products.
7. Tell the FDA that innovative products such as e-cigarettes should not be made less effective by setting nicotine doses too low.
8. If you use e-liquid (or snus) that has a pleasant flavor added (such as fruit, candy, beverage), tell the FDA that this has helped you and describe how.
9. Urge the FDA to not propose the "deeming" regulation because it would ban e-cigarettes, and would sharply increase the price and reduce accessibility of the products even if FDA exempted e-cigarettes from the most onerous provisions in Chapter IX.
10. Ask the FDA to remove text from its web site that is inaccurate and/or misleading.
· For example, many people believe that e-cigarettes are very likely to cause cancer or poison the user because the FDA “forgot” to mention that the amount of carcinogens detected in liquid are no higher than in pharmaceutical nicotine products such as the patch and gum, and that the only toxin detected was in an amount that has never been shown to endanger health.
· Many people that might have switched to snus, which is much less hazardous to health than smoking, but they were convinced to continue smoking instead by the misleading statement “This product is not a safe alternative to smoking.
Many thanks to Elaine, Kristin and all the other members of CASAA who have done so much to ensure that vapers can continue to use electronic cigarette products. Let's hope the FDA sees sense and realises that ecigs and other harm reduction products are an essential part in the battle against smoking related harm. And let's also hope that your right to choose is not trampled on by a body that is not acting in your best interests.
Please, act now.
see also: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...mit-written-comments-sec-918-tobacco-act.html
Edit: Adding new link
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=FDA-2012-N-1148
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