I can't believe people can be so ignorant as to the benefits that e-cigs have for people. I quit my 30+ year smoking habit the day I got my first e-cig. I live in Maryland and just emailed everyone on that list a heart felt email. I think this whole thing is insane. My doctor was the one who "prescribed" e-cigs to me so I could kick my nasty habit. Now, I'm trying to set up a company making mods to help people as much as I can. Something needs to be done.
Thanks Everyone.
Couldn't agree more. For me I quit the day I received mine after smoking 1.5ppd for 24 years. Then I got a good friend to make the switch who had smoked for approximately the same length of time (and is now a very active ECF member). Together we now have in the neighborhood of nine friends, all long term smokers, who have made the switch! I even have a non-smoking friend who is a paid Captain with a major metropolitan fire department who is now going on calls in which people are suffering from smoking related health emergencies and asking them if they've ever heard of electronic cigarette's!
After having these products change my life and the lives of many family and friends I began researching hard. To the point that I worked all day and spent all my evenings gathering everything from the FDA, Health New Zealand, CDC reports, public statements from physicians...you name it. I started a petition that got off the ground running only to have the internet host shut it down due too it's relationship to e-cigarette's! I have a background that I felt suited me to start a business pertaining to e-cigs and finally my fiance got sick of it and told me to drop what I was doing and pour my heart and soul into this. So I know where your coming from in regards to wanting to get involved.
The fact is these politicians and anti-smoking groups are clearly making no effort to do any research. The mere fact that the anti-smoking groups aren't whole heartedly backing e-cigs just further illustrates how in bed they are with big pharm as far as I'm concerned. How hard would it be for them to find this forum? How hard would it be for them to contact the moderators of this forum and ask that a public announcement be made to the members that they are seeking people willing to participate in research groups? How many of us would line up to participate? How many of them have made any attempt to do so?
As far as the media goes. I don't think they have any clue as to just how big of a story this really is. With one in five Americans continuing to be tobacco users these simple little devices, that are filled with ridiculously simple ingredients, stand to benefit 40-50 million Americans. Plus everyone else concerned about second hand smoke or litter and fire danger due to improper disposal of combustible cigarette's (huge in the Santa Cruz mountains here). Do you think the media really understands what's in these things? I recently wrote to one of the leading suppliers of fog juice in the US. Their site goes to great lengths to explain that they supply to Disneyland, Six Flags, Universal Studios, and thousands of other amusement parks, lasertag facilities and dance establishments. It then goes on to explain that their fog is "non-toxic and safe" but does not list the ingredients. My e-mail asked simply if their fog contained propylene glycol to which they responded immediately "All fog liquids we know of are primarily made up of propylene glycol". They also sell scented fogs as well. So with the only non-FDA approved ingredient that does not already have a lengthy track record of supposed safe inhalation (largely by children no less) being the nicotine itself....it comes down to straight nicotine v.s. nicotine and 4000 other ingredients. Where's the logic?
Obviously it is of the utmost importance that we write our officials and all of us around my parts have our letters in. I do however think that getting the media to acknowledge this is of equal importance as well in order to accurately portray our plight to the general, and ill informed, public. A news story recently came out of Sacramento, the heart of Corbett's district (force behind California SB 882), that was relatively balanced. This news station is asking for people to write in and tell them their e-cig experiences. You can do so below the story in the blog or on their Facebook page. I would recommend everyone takes a minute and does so just to make sure Corbett's voters know how we feel!
Video:
http://www.news10.net/video/default...y+to+quit+or+teen+marketing+tool?/74560109001
Written story with blog below:
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=78361
Also take note that SB 882 does NOT currently just state that it will limit sale to those over 18 but rather states.....and I quote "This bill would authorize action to halt the sale, distribution, or offering for sale of electronic cigarettes that have not been approved or cleared by the federal Food and Drug Administration."
Just my two cents turning into four.
