If I could just clarify a few things?
First, regarding the FDA, CASAA wasn't just sitting on the sidelines watching the Smoking Everywhere vs FDA case. We actively participated by helping initiate and joining in on the Amicus Brief that was filed defending e-cigarettes: http://www.casaa.org/files/amicus brief smokefree.pdf
Secondly, one of the main reasons CASAA has to focus so much on the U.S. and not globally (as initially intended) is the same reasons stated here why Canada hasn't been able to get things going - lack of member involvement. Out of thousands of members and tens of thousands of vapers, we have a core membership of a few dozen which actively participate.
No offense to nuclearbroccoli, but we've had 5 dedicated CASAA "leaders" who have put in countless hours trying to build CASAA into an effective organization. If there had been no dedicated, committed leadership, CASAA would have faded out into nothingness back in the early days of 2009. Someone has to be there to keep pushing people and making a show of getting things accomplished. Out of the original 13 board members, only about 5-6 of us were really doing the work to keep up appearances of CASAA being active and making the important connections with other loosely organized vaping groups and tobacco harm reduction experts. we had to do a lot of "self educating" on the issues. If an organization with a leadership hierarchy had such difficulties, even less structure would be doomed to fail. This is a lot more work than you can even imagine - I know I couldn't imagine it would be this difficult and I was ready to give up on several occasions. Many of our board members did give up. Of the original 13, we have 4 remaining.
The last part in the quote "to organize members" is the most difficult and time-consuming, yet most important task we face. Unless you have unlimited funds to fly board members to every meeting with legislators, you have to engage people who are local to get to these meetings and speak up. This (and lack of funding) is what has kept CASAA from being more effective in the U.S. and moving to help Canadian vapers. (Canada also is distinct in that, unlike in the U.S., we would not be fighting proposed bans, but rather trying to reverse an existing national ban - which would be a lot easier with the proper scientific studies and established policies in the U.S. that we could point to.) CASAA would love to see Health Canada reverse its opinion, as many of our ANTZ groups point to Canada (and Australia) as supporting evidence to ban them here.
CASAA has extended an offer to the ECCA (UK) and e-cigarette groups in other countries to let them use any of the information on CASAA's site to help advocate in their country and the same courtesy would be extended to a Canadian group, including writing letters and sending emails from CASAA to Canadian officials - but CASAA would need Canadians on the ground and in contact with CASAA to give CASAA information on who to contact and what they need argued. We just don't have the manpower or expertise of your laws to do it otherwise. If a few dedicated and ambitious Canadian vapers want to attend CASAA meetings and let us know what needs to be done in Canada, I know we'd help any way we can. As I said previously - it all comes down to members being active. Just as a CASAA member in Tennessee has to alert us to a proposed ban in their area, get us the info on the issue and who to contact, show up to speak on behalf of CASAA, etc., Canadian members would have to participate in the same manner. As of yet, we haven't had any Canadian vapers get us any information on what direction they want to go and where they want to start, so CASAA has not been active in Canada. But I see no reason why CASAA would be opposed to posting Canadian "Call to Actions" on our site for you. But we need Canadians to tell us what they want to do. As our unofficial slogan says - YOU are CASAA. CASAA could be a strong force anywhere we have active members willing to volunteer to do the work needed to get the job done!
Either way, if you all get a group going, CASAA would support you in any way we can and work with you as we have with other groups.
First, regarding the FDA, CASAA wasn't just sitting on the sidelines watching the Smoking Everywhere vs FDA case. We actively participated by helping initiate and joining in on the Amicus Brief that was filed defending e-cigarettes: http://www.casaa.org/files/amicus brief smokefree.pdf
Secondly, one of the main reasons CASAA has to focus so much on the U.S. and not globally (as initially intended) is the same reasons stated here why Canada hasn't been able to get things going - lack of member involvement. Out of thousands of members and tens of thousands of vapers, we have a core membership of a few dozen which actively participate.
No offense to nuclearbroccoli, but we've had 5 dedicated CASAA "leaders" who have put in countless hours trying to build CASAA into an effective organization. If there had been no dedicated, committed leadership, CASAA would have faded out into nothingness back in the early days of 2009. Someone has to be there to keep pushing people and making a show of getting things accomplished. Out of the original 13 board members, only about 5-6 of us were really doing the work to keep up appearances of CASAA being active and making the important connections with other loosely organized vaping groups and tobacco harm reduction experts. we had to do a lot of "self educating" on the issues. If an organization with a leadership hierarchy had such difficulties, even less structure would be doomed to fail. This is a lot more work than you can even imagine - I know I couldn't imagine it would be this difficult and I was ready to give up on several occasions. Many of our board members did give up. Of the original 13, we have 4 remaining.
The last part in the quote "to organize members" is the most difficult and time-consuming, yet most important task we face. Unless you have unlimited funds to fly board members to every meeting with legislators, you have to engage people who are local to get to these meetings and speak up. This (and lack of funding) is what has kept CASAA from being more effective in the U.S. and moving to help Canadian vapers. (Canada also is distinct in that, unlike in the U.S., we would not be fighting proposed bans, but rather trying to reverse an existing national ban - which would be a lot easier with the proper scientific studies and established policies in the U.S. that we could point to.) CASAA would love to see Health Canada reverse its opinion, as many of our ANTZ groups point to Canada (and Australia) as supporting evidence to ban them here.
CASAA has extended an offer to the ECCA (UK) and e-cigarette groups in other countries to let them use any of the information on CASAA's site to help advocate in their country and the same courtesy would be extended to a Canadian group, including writing letters and sending emails from CASAA to Canadian officials - but CASAA would need Canadians on the ground and in contact with CASAA to give CASAA information on who to contact and what they need argued. We just don't have the manpower or expertise of your laws to do it otherwise. If a few dedicated and ambitious Canadian vapers want to attend CASAA meetings and let us know what needs to be done in Canada, I know we'd help any way we can. As I said previously - it all comes down to members being active. Just as a CASAA member in Tennessee has to alert us to a proposed ban in their area, get us the info on the issue and who to contact, show up to speak on behalf of CASAA, etc., Canadian members would have to participate in the same manner. As of yet, we haven't had any Canadian vapers get us any information on what direction they want to go and where they want to start, so CASAA has not been active in Canada. But I see no reason why CASAA would be opposed to posting Canadian "Call to Actions" on our site for you. But we need Canadians to tell us what they want to do. As our unofficial slogan says - YOU are CASAA. CASAA could be a strong force anywhere we have active members willing to volunteer to do the work needed to get the job done!
Either way, if you all get a group going, CASAA would support you in any way we can and work with you as we have with other groups.
