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Urgent E-cig Action Alert
US Senate HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow (Thursday) at 2:30PM to demonize e-cigs and lobby for vaping bans, e-cig ad bans and FDA’s proposed deeming regulation that would ban >99% of e-cig products, give the e-cig industry to Big tobacco, and threaten the lives of all vapers and smokers. FDA’s Mitch Zeller and CDC’s Tim McAfee are the only witness invited to testify.
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Hearings - Hearing
Week ahead: Senate Democrats target e-cigarettes | TheHill
Last week, Harkin and several other Senate Democrats sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg repeating fear mongering claims about e-cig vapor, and calling for even more unwarranted restrictions on e-cigs.
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Newsroom - Press Releases
Immediate Action Requested (Deadline Thursday, May 15th at 2:30PM)
Please contact US Senate HELP Cmte members (listed below) from your state TODAY urging him/her to oppose FDA’s proposed deeming regulation because it would ban >99% of e-cigs (including all premium vaporizers and e-liquid), give the e-cig industry to Big Tobacco, create a huge black market and increase safety risks, and threaten the lives of all vapers and smokers.
Suggested questions for Senators to ask FDA’s Mitch Zeller:
- How can public health benefit by FDA banning 99% of e-cigarette products that have helped many smokers quit?
- How can public health benefit if FDA protects cigarettes from market competition (by far less hazardous vaporizers) and gives the e-cigarette industry (comprised of several thousand mostly small companies) to Big Tobacco and perhaps several large cigalike companies?
- Why does the FDA keep denying the scientific and empirical evidence that e-cigarettes have helped many smokers quit, as the proposed deeming regulation states (on page 40) “There is no evidence to date that e-cigarettes are effective cessation devices.”?
- Why does the FDA consider tobacco companies and anti tobacco activists to be “stakeholders” in the regulatory process, but not consumers whose lives are at stake?
- Since e-cigarettes are far less hazardous than cigarettes, and since nearly all e-cigarette consumption is by smokers and former smokers who switched to e-cigarettes, doesn’t that benefit, instead of threaten public health?
Suggested questions for Senators to ask CDC’s Tim McAfee:
- Since the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey found that teen smokers were 20 times more likely than nonsmokers to report past e-cig use, that <1% of nonsmoking teens reported past e-cig use, and that teen smoking rates declined from 2011 to 2012, why did CDC Director Tom Frieden and you tell the news media e-cigarettes were addicting youth, were gateways to smoking, and can renormalize smoking?
- Why is the CDC recruiting and offering to pay e-cigarette users who were diagnosed with a “serious health condition” to appear in advertisements even if their disease wasn’t caused by e-cigarette use? CDC Recruitment Ad for 2015 (All Conditions Only)
- Why does the CDC refuse to acknowledge that many smokers have quit smoking by switching to e-cigarettes?
- Why does the CDC oppose smokers switching to far less hazardous e-cigarettes?
- Since e-cigarettes are less hazardous than cigarettes, and since far more smokers begin using e-cigarettes than nonsmokers, aren’t e-cigarettes benefiting public health?
Please urge Senators to ask some of these (or other) questions at tomorrow’s hearing.
US Senate HELP Committee
U.S. Senate
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Home
Democrats
Tom Harkin (IA) Chair
(202) 224-3254
www.harkin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
(202) 224-4654
www.mikulski.senate.gov/contact/
Patty Murray (WA)
(202) 224-2626
www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Bernard Sanders (VT)
(202) 224-5141
www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/
Robert P. Casey, Jr (PA)
(202) 224-6324
www.casey.senate.gov/contact/
Kay Hagen (NC)
(202) 224-6342
www.hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact
Al Franken (MN)
(202) 224-5641
www.franken.senate.gov/?p=contact
Michael Bennet (CO)
(202) 224-5852
www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
(202) 224-2921
www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Tammy Baldwin (WI)
(202) 224-5653
www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact
Christopher Murphy (CT)
(202) 224-4041
www.murphy.senate.gov/contact
Elizabeth Warren (MA)
(202) 224-4543
www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator
Republicans
Lamar Alexander (TN) Ranking Member
(202) 224-4944
www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email
Michael Enzi (WY)
(202) 224-3424
E-mail Senator Enzi - Contact - United States Senator Mike Enzi
Richard Burr (NC)
(202) 224-3154
http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Johnny Isakson (GA)
(202) 224-3643
www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
Rand Paul (KY)
(202) 224-4343
www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact
Orrin Hatch (UT)
(202) 224-5251
www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin
Pat Roberts (KS)
(202) 224-4774
www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
(202) 224-6665
www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Mark Kirk (IL)
(202) 224-2854
www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=contact
Tim Scott (SC)
(202) 224-6121
www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me
Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
BillGodshall@verizon.net
US Senate HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow (Thursday) at 2:30PM to demonize e-cigs and lobby for vaping bans, e-cig ad bans and FDA’s proposed deeming regulation that would ban >99% of e-cig products, give the e-cig industry to Big tobacco, and threaten the lives of all vapers and smokers. FDA’s Mitch Zeller and CDC’s Tim McAfee are the only witness invited to testify.
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Hearings - Hearing
Week ahead: Senate Democrats target e-cigarettes | TheHill
Last week, Harkin and several other Senate Democrats sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg repeating fear mongering claims about e-cig vapor, and calling for even more unwarranted restrictions on e-cigs.
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Newsroom - Press Releases
Immediate Action Requested (Deadline Thursday, May 15th at 2:30PM)
Please contact US Senate HELP Cmte members (listed below) from your state TODAY urging him/her to oppose FDA’s proposed deeming regulation because it would ban >99% of e-cigs (including all premium vaporizers and e-liquid), give the e-cig industry to Big Tobacco, create a huge black market and increase safety risks, and threaten the lives of all vapers and smokers.
Suggested questions for Senators to ask FDA’s Mitch Zeller:
- How can public health benefit by FDA banning 99% of e-cigarette products that have helped many smokers quit?
- How can public health benefit if FDA protects cigarettes from market competition (by far less hazardous vaporizers) and gives the e-cigarette industry (comprised of several thousand mostly small companies) to Big Tobacco and perhaps several large cigalike companies?
- Why does the FDA keep denying the scientific and empirical evidence that e-cigarettes have helped many smokers quit, as the proposed deeming regulation states (on page 40) “There is no evidence to date that e-cigarettes are effective cessation devices.”?
- Why does the FDA consider tobacco companies and anti tobacco activists to be “stakeholders” in the regulatory process, but not consumers whose lives are at stake?
- Since e-cigarettes are far less hazardous than cigarettes, and since nearly all e-cigarette consumption is by smokers and former smokers who switched to e-cigarettes, doesn’t that benefit, instead of threaten public health?
Suggested questions for Senators to ask CDC’s Tim McAfee:
- Since the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey found that teen smokers were 20 times more likely than nonsmokers to report past e-cig use, that <1% of nonsmoking teens reported past e-cig use, and that teen smoking rates declined from 2011 to 2012, why did CDC Director Tom Frieden and you tell the news media e-cigarettes were addicting youth, were gateways to smoking, and can renormalize smoking?
- Why is the CDC recruiting and offering to pay e-cigarette users who were diagnosed with a “serious health condition” to appear in advertisements even if their disease wasn’t caused by e-cigarette use? CDC Recruitment Ad for 2015 (All Conditions Only)
- Why does the CDC refuse to acknowledge that many smokers have quit smoking by switching to e-cigarettes?
- Why does the CDC oppose smokers switching to far less hazardous e-cigarettes?
- Since e-cigarettes are less hazardous than cigarettes, and since far more smokers begin using e-cigarettes than nonsmokers, aren’t e-cigarettes benefiting public health?
Please urge Senators to ask some of these (or other) questions at tomorrow’s hearing.
US Senate HELP Committee
U.S. Senate
US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions: Home
Democrats
Tom Harkin (IA) Chair
(202) 224-3254
www.harkin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
(202) 224-4654
www.mikulski.senate.gov/contact/
Patty Murray (WA)
(202) 224-2626
www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Bernard Sanders (VT)
(202) 224-5141
www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/
Robert P. Casey, Jr (PA)
(202) 224-6324
www.casey.senate.gov/contact/
Kay Hagen (NC)
(202) 224-6342
www.hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact
Al Franken (MN)
(202) 224-5641
www.franken.senate.gov/?p=contact
Michael Bennet (CO)
(202) 224-5852
www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
(202) 224-2921
www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Tammy Baldwin (WI)
(202) 224-5653
www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact
Christopher Murphy (CT)
(202) 224-4041
www.murphy.senate.gov/contact
Elizabeth Warren (MA)
(202) 224-4543
www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator
Republicans
Lamar Alexander (TN) Ranking Member
(202) 224-4944
www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email
Michael Enzi (WY)
(202) 224-3424
E-mail Senator Enzi - Contact - United States Senator Mike Enzi
Richard Burr (NC)
(202) 224-3154
http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Johnny Isakson (GA)
(202) 224-3643
www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
Rand Paul (KY)
(202) 224-4343
www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact
Orrin Hatch (UT)
(202) 224-5251
www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin
Pat Roberts (KS)
(202) 224-4774
www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
(202) 224-6665
www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Mark Kirk (IL)
(202) 224-2854
www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=contact
Tim Scott (SC)
(202) 224-6121
www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me
Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
BillGodshall@verizon.net
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