Assemblyman Gabryzak seems to be in favor of taking this up as an issue for us. I've been asked informally if I'd be willing to go to Albany to be on his public access TV Show basically giving the same presentation I did at his office. It'll be in April if it happens. Anyone have some dead atts and batts so I can show a wide variety of e-cigs? All I use/own are 510's Ego's and Ego-T's.
New york sales ban next steps
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A response finally from Richard Gottfried in my email today:
Thank you very much for writing to let me know of your opposition to Assembly bill A. 1468, which would prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA has found that electronic cigarettes contain several cancer-causing ingredients, and are not necessarily a safe smoking-cessation product.
To the extent they are intended to be a smoking cessation device, they should be legal for adults, and would be under the bill, if and when the manufacturers seek and obtain FDA approval, as with other medical products.
I appreciate your consideration in writing to me.
Very truly yours,
Richard N. Gottfried
Chair
Assembly Committee on Health
Thank you very much for writing to let me know of your opposition to Assembly bill A. 1468, which would prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA has found that electronic cigarettes contain several cancer-causing ingredients, and are not necessarily a safe smoking-cessation product.
To the extent they are intended to be a smoking cessation device, they should be legal for adults, and would be under the bill, if and when the manufacturers seek and obtain FDA approval, as with other medical products.
I appreciate your consideration in writing to me.
Very truly yours,
Richard N. Gottfried
Chair
Assembly Committee on Health
Ask him what his answer would be if he truly understood the fact that electronic cigarettes are not intended to be smoking cessation devices, and that the level of carcinogens found in the samples tested by the FDA are so little as to be virtually harmless. And then ask him if it is common practice to pass laws based on ignorance, misdirection, fear, and outright lies. And then ask him if he realizes passing such a law will most likely result in the deaths of thousands upon thousands of smokers in his district who otherwise might have had an opportunity to save their lives.
But tie it in to voters. Like this:
"And then ask him if he realizes passing such a law will most likely result in the deaths of thousands upon thousands of smokers in his district who otherwise might vote for him."
Nice touch.
I would probably have said "of whom some small percentage might actually have been stupid enough to vote for you".
But then that is why I don't reply to the replies I get very often.
I received the same email today. Here is my reply, which I cc'd to Rosenthal, John Stossel and Elaine:
Dear Mr. Gottfried:
Thank you for your response. Perhaps you did this unintentionally, but your response does focus on the very heart of this issue. Before this product existed, a smoker had two choices, quit or smoke. All or nothing. This invention offers current smokers a third, SAFER choice. I don't want to stop using nicotine, any more than I want to stop drinking caffeinated coffee. Some smokers can quit, and I applaud those who do. Some people are dependent on nicotine, and despite knowing all of the associated health risks are unable to quit despite repeated attempts. Those people still deserve your respect, yet some elected officials seem determined to prevent these constituents from enjoying a healthier alternative because it "resembles" smoking.
The FDA has told lies and half-truths about their test results. There are numerous studies that have proven that this alternative is exponentially safer than tobacco cigarettes. I know that the nicotine juice I purchase from a New York vendor contains just four ingredients, nicotine, FDA-approved propylene glycol, FDA-approved vegetable glyerin, and flavorings. How many tobacco smokers can name the thousands of carcinogens in their cigarette? Yet New York happily rakes in the tax revenue on tobacco, while wanting to ban a safer alternative. I guess it is true that money buys votes, because your actions are protecting the state's tax revenue stream, not the health of New Yorkers who smoke. I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware of the court decision that the FDA cannot ban this product because it is NOT classified as a drug delivery device. These devices should be legal for adults because those of us who are currently SUCCESSFULLY using the product have done our research, we know the truth, and we don't need misinformed officials who have not thoroughly researched this product to make poor decisions that will adversely effect our health.
How is it possible that there are thousands of adults in America that are currently using this product to successfully replace tobacco cigarettes, with ZERO reports of any serious health effects, whose own physicians encourage them to continue because the health benefits are clearly evident? Because the product does what it was designed to do, give smokers a healthier alternative. How can elected officials want to ban the ONLY thing that turned my 36 YEAR pack-a-day smoking habit into a thing of the past virtually overnight? It seems that the FDA and government officials such has yourself have no regard for the truth, or for the health of your constituents. You should be ashamed.
Sincerely,
I also just replied to the mass e-mail Gottfried sent out today. I had to be very conscious of being as polite as possible but DANG its hard when he clearly has so much false information! I wanted to tell him to fire his research staff but instead politely asked if he would "review and revisit" his research... along with some other very polite ways of saying, "You're dead wrong, Dummy!"
Good job!
It's actually very important to keep the tone civil and polite, no matter how hard it is. It's also important to avoid threats ("I'm never voting for you again!") and to dangle carrots instead ("If you do this, people will like you more!")
Uncivil tones just get tossed into the "loony" file and don't have nearly the impact of a calm, well-spoken, well-reasoned, and most importantly short missive. Also, emails are the least effective way of communicating. Telephone is #1, and postal letters is #2. Many legislators simply reply to emails with a stock response and discard them without even adding the opinion to their pro/con tally sheet.
Let me ask this....
What are the chances ecigs wont get banned at this point?
Been doing reading, and looks to me ecigs will be removed from the market.
Very upset.
Maddening that BT, BP, FDA and some political figures have horns on their heads, taking away products that helped people quit or cut down smoking. THey have some nerve bombarding us with surgeon generals warning and media showing graphic images, urging us to do whatever it takes to discontinue tobacco.
I seriously hope life throws us a bone and ecigs are NOT banned from the market.
What are the chances ecigs wont get banned at this point?
Been doing reading, and looks to me ecigs will be removed from the market.
Very upset.
Maddening that BT, BP, FDA and some political figures have horns on their heads, taking away products that helped people quit or cut down smoking. THey have some nerve bombarding us with surgeon generals warning and media showing graphic images, urging us to do whatever it takes to discontinue tobacco.
I seriously hope life throws us a bone and ecigs are NOT banned from the market.
If this bill passes the Codes Committee (which it likely will), it will go to the full Assembly for a vote. If it passes the Assembly, it'll go to the Senate, where it's first vote will be in the Senate Health Committee. Thankfully, Republicans control the NY Senate, and it's not very likely that they'll vote to ban e-cigarettes.
We have a very good shot of defeating this bill, but I'd still try to personally visit your representative, as I know he's on the Codes Committee from our previous discussion.
Thanks Placebo Effect.
Actually, I DID contact my rep and trying to meet him in person.
Going to write some letters as well and ask some of my friends and family members to back me up.
Then when he doesn't respond favorably and election time rolls around, work your hardest to get 'is .... out of office!
I am new to vaping but in 10 days since I started it has already positively effected my health tremendously. I am in New York and want to help. Are there any updates on where this stands now? The last references I see in the OP were from votes that happened in January. I did read the whole thread, if I missed this information I apologize. I would like to help out but want to make sure I'm targeting the right people at this late stage.
I do not see any of my district representatives in the OP. My assemblyman is Philip A. Palmesano- should I be concentrating my efforts there? How about my senator?
I do not see any of my district representatives in the OP. My assemblyman is Philip A. Palmesano- should I be concentrating my efforts there? How about my senator?
ABeautifulD, the bills are still sitting in committee.
A1468, the Assembly version, is still pending in the Assembly Codes Committee, and it has not come up on its meeting agenda yet. I check regularly. On this page, Committee Agenda, you see any committee meetings scheduled for the following week, and if the committee you are interested in has a meeting, clicking on the committee name will take you to the agenda - a list of the bills to be considered at that meeting. As you can see as of today, the Codes Committee has no meeting this coming week.
S695-2011, the Senate version, is still pending in the Senate Health Committee, and similarly has not come up at any meeting yet. I haunt the Health Committee's page for news of its upcoming meeting agendas also, here: Health | New York State Senate
So yes, the information in my original post is still good to act on, as both the Assembly Codes Committee members and Senate Health Committee members are listed in it, and are appropriate to call and/or write with expressions of your opposition to Section 2 of the bills. And also your particular Senate and Assembly reps as well, in case either of the bills do get favorably voted out of committee and end up on the floor of the Assembly or the Senate for a vote.
A1468, the Assembly version, is still pending in the Assembly Codes Committee, and it has not come up on its meeting agenda yet. I check regularly. On this page, Committee Agenda, you see any committee meetings scheduled for the following week, and if the committee you are interested in has a meeting, clicking on the committee name will take you to the agenda - a list of the bills to be considered at that meeting. As you can see as of today, the Codes Committee has no meeting this coming week.
S695-2011, the Senate version, is still pending in the Senate Health Committee, and similarly has not come up at any meeting yet. I haunt the Health Committee's page for news of its upcoming meeting agendas also, here: Health | New York State Senate
So yes, the information in my original post is still good to act on, as both the Assembly Codes Committee members and Senate Health Committee members are listed in it, and are appropriate to call and/or write with expressions of your opposition to Section 2 of the bills. And also your particular Senate and Assembly reps as well, in case either of the bills do get favorably voted out of committee and end up on the floor of the Assembly or the Senate for a vote.
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