We have received several queries about the current fundraising effort by Dr. Michael Siegel. After assessing the matter and corresponding with him, we have decided against supporting this effort and are recommending at this point that people not donate to this project.
It is with a heavy heart that we make this recommendation, which we realize might be misinterpreted as a negative statement about Dr. Siegel. Like many of you, we consider him an invaluable friend of our cause. But it is our assessment that the research project he is seeking funding for will not be useful, and that the resources it requires would be far better spent elsewhere. Dr. Siegel has provided few details about the specifics of his project (a problem in itself), but he is hoping to conduct a randomized clinical trial that includes smokers switching to e-cigarettes. We consider this to be a particularly bad way to study e-cigarettes. Trials like this do not represent the real role of e-cigarettes in society and are likely to grossly understate their value. He believes that this would influence the FDA, but we disagree. We see no reason to believe that this would affect FDA's major decisions or that they are at all interested in the results of such a study.
Most important, the proposed cost of this project -- $4.5 million -- is staggering. If every penny ever given by the community over the last 5+ years for advocacy and research were devoted to this project, it would only cover 5% of the total cost. The only way a study like this could ever be fully funded is a federal grant, and if such a grant happens, then the small sum given by the community would not matter at all.
By contrast, that sum could be enormously valuable if devoted to other projects. The critically important study by Dr. Burstyn, which the community generously paid for, cost only one half of one percent of that sum. Dr. Farsalinos has conducted several crowd-funded studies for similarly low costs. CASAA acts as your advocate at the state and federal level, provides educational materials and ongoing analysis, and supports various research projects for annual expenditures that are about 2% of the budget for this single study. We fear that community donations to Dr Siegel's project will take away from critical needs elsewhere and will still be insufficient to make the project happen.
We realize that this could be seen as mercenary, and some will think that we are asking people to give money to us and not this study. But this is not about CASAA. It is about the needs of the community as a whole. If you were thinking about donating to the project then, of course, CASAA would appreciate the donation instead. But if that is not your preference, please give the money to, for example, the vaping Militia, vape A Vet, your local ecig group, one of the European groups that is trying to form, or hold onto it for Dr. Farsalinos's next project.
It is with a heavy heart that we make this recommendation, which we realize might be misinterpreted as a negative statement about Dr. Siegel. Like many of you, we consider him an invaluable friend of our cause. But it is our assessment that the research project he is seeking funding for will not be useful, and that the resources it requires would be far better spent elsewhere. Dr. Siegel has provided few details about the specifics of his project (a problem in itself), but he is hoping to conduct a randomized clinical trial that includes smokers switching to e-cigarettes. We consider this to be a particularly bad way to study e-cigarettes. Trials like this do not represent the real role of e-cigarettes in society and are likely to grossly understate their value. He believes that this would influence the FDA, but we disagree. We see no reason to believe that this would affect FDA's major decisions or that they are at all interested in the results of such a study.
Most important, the proposed cost of this project -- $4.5 million -- is staggering. If every penny ever given by the community over the last 5+ years for advocacy and research were devoted to this project, it would only cover 5% of the total cost. The only way a study like this could ever be fully funded is a federal grant, and if such a grant happens, then the small sum given by the community would not matter at all.
By contrast, that sum could be enormously valuable if devoted to other projects. The critically important study by Dr. Burstyn, which the community generously paid for, cost only one half of one percent of that sum. Dr. Farsalinos has conducted several crowd-funded studies for similarly low costs. CASAA acts as your advocate at the state and federal level, provides educational materials and ongoing analysis, and supports various research projects for annual expenditures that are about 2% of the budget for this single study. We fear that community donations to Dr Siegel's project will take away from critical needs elsewhere and will still be insufficient to make the project happen.
We realize that this could be seen as mercenary, and some will think that we are asking people to give money to us and not this study. But this is not about CASAA. It is about the needs of the community as a whole. If you were thinking about donating to the project then, of course, CASAA would appreciate the donation instead. But if that is not your preference, please give the money to, for example, the vaping Militia, vape A Vet, your local ecig group, one of the European groups that is trying to form, or hold onto it for Dr. Farsalinos's next project.
