Reply from EU to Dr Farselinos et al

It's laughable that the EU representative implies that the scientists may have e-cigarette conflict of interests (which they don't) and brings up the need for transparency. I wonder how many EU politicians are bought and paid for by the Big Pharm industry just like in the US?

 

It would be interesting to see the answer if they had asked for any conflicts of interest from the commission on previous employment, grants and campaign donations including BP from those involved in writing the proposed regulations.

That would be a fun to watch dance.

 

From what I have read about politicians in Europe, from our vaping brethren across the pond, many of their politicians are as bad as the "nanny-state" ones here in the US.

 

Lol, in Croatia a politician is successful as long as he stays out of jail.

 

"Moral high ground" + science? Isn't that the same formula that brought us things like the "science" of eugenics?

 

Yes... Pfffffff!, indeed !!

1) There are NO studies that show clearly that 'youngsters are starting with e-cigs, and then moving to tobacco cigarettes'. To say that, you would need to ask specifically in the (non-existant) study: "Are you currently using tobacco cigarettes?" and "Are you using, or have you used in the past, electronic cigarettes?"

2) Tobacco use among youngsters is actually decreasing :

The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: Despite Drastic Increase in Electronic Cigarette Experimentation from 2011-2012, CDC Survey Finds Decline in Cigarette Smoking Among Youth
The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: If Electronic Cigarettes are a Gateway to Smoking, then Why Were Youth Smoking Rates at an All-Time Low in 2013?

3) The fact that 'e-cig use is raising among youth', paired with thee fact that 'tobacco use is decreasing among youth' can have a logical explanation: youngsters are being sucessful in quitting cigarettes - just as their not-so-young counterparts... how can that be seen as a negative thing? OK, I know, minors were not supposed to be using the e-cig... well, guess what? They were not supposed to be smoking either... I can speak for myself: I started when I was fifteen. That is the real world out there...

4) "For the sake of completeness we would like to ask for clarification whether the scientists that have signed the mail have undertaken research, provided consulting or received funding/travel support from electronic cigarettes companies"

Really...? Dr Siegel's blog is full of entries about 'pseudo-scientists' who always 'forget' to state their own conflicts of interest with BP... I'm not saying those conflicts are not a problem... they are. But why are they given any significance only when it comes to the e-cig?

 

As expected, the letter fell on deaf ears, and was dismissed wholesale and with extreme prejudice...

 

copies to 'shadow' rappoteurs...

and they're asking for transparency.

Can fault them for a lot of things, but can't fault 'em for chuzpah...

Reminds me always of a quote from 'Avatar' .... They're p***ing on us and don't even have the decency to call it rain...