Now is the Time To Act! I am Serious! **updated**

[Terraphon]

Umm...Terraphon you just wrote a wonderful argument here in the forum. Can't you find the time to send an email? Would it help if we put together a list of addresses and emails?

Nah...won't really help, at all. I'm in my free time, now and I'm actually arguing this point for a reason.

I've sent emails in the past. I've rallied quote a few supporters, as well. The issue is that the suppliers are right...We ARE at a crossroads.

The left road has the suppliers doing what they need to do to legitimize the business and, a bit further down the road is vape-topia.

Straight ahead has us going on just as we have been, nothing getting done and vaping getting banned.

To the right we have the path where we do the work the distributors should be doing and...well...we don't know what's down that road except a lot of trudging along toward an uncertain future, probably wishing we'd taken that left back in Albuquerque.

I'm not arguing just for the sake of arguing (though I am known to do so quite often). I have a point, here.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

e-cigs have been around for a long time, Joe...The FDA has been watching them for a while, they're only just now being vocal about them because of the explosion in the US. They do work very slowly but they've had plenty of time to take aim.

Also, I don't know 100% that I can get my stuff from China but I do have a buddy in Shanghai that will certainly hook me up if I ask.

The main problem I have here is that the suppliers act like they have something up their sleeve but they're not willing to share with the class. I've never done well with people keeping secrets.

I hear you Terraphon as I asked many times only to be told that they were working with Counsel and it was not something that we (meaning us consumers) would be privy to???????????--Sun

 

[Terraphon]

I hear you Terraphon as I asked many times only to be told that they were working with Counsel and it was not something that we (meaning us consumers) would be privy to???????????--Sun

Yep...

Seems kinda shifty, to me.

 

[fenez]

Terraphon is absolutely right. I want vaping legal of course but right now it is just a bunch of suppliers who are little more than forum members who buy in bulk, it is really just a matter of all the suppliers pooling their money to get this done. They now talk with eachother and have an official assc. which is a step in the right direction, but to say we want to self govern and don't need fda approval well that just makes everyone think that it is all about the money.

 

[Terraphon]

k...I'm out. gonna go punch myself in the face a bunch of times and then go to bed.

Night, vapers!

 

[ChainSmkr]

Want to legimize it? put some money behind research or hire a respected Dr.as a spokesman. To just leave it as it is will only shorten the life of vaping, every legitimate industry has to prove their product, especially when it contains a drug.

The problem is that the product isn't being manufactured in the USA and it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to file with the FDA. This puts the FDA between a rock and a hard spot when it hasn't received anything from a US manufacturing company that wants to sell the device. I'd imagine that manufacturers in Hong Kong and China have their hands full filling their own country's legal requirements right now before moving onto foreign requirements.

 

[OutWest]

fda approval problems are that it's mfg in another country and that it will cost millions of dollars to go through the required hoops to get FDA approval plus millions more to mfg here in the U.S. And, there would be a period of up to 10 years that they wouldnt be on the market while waiting for FDA approval.

Why should ecigs be under tighter restrictions than analogs?

As for the Waxman bill, it gives a free ride to cigarettes and other products that have been on the market for a few years (I forget the exact date listed in the bill) but safer alternatives such as snuss and ecigs will be required to go through the FDA hoops to be proven safe before being allowed to be marketed (millions of $ plus 10 year waiting period)

 

[Lika]

Ok, now I am just ...... beyond belief. I've been on this forum lurking for months and only signed up and started posting in early February. I've been Mr. Nice Guy but that's about to change right now.

First of all, you, the suppliers cannot realistically expect your consumers to play the roll of blindfolded pawns in a game of self regulation you have no chance of winning. If you think otherwise then you might as well get out your big rubber stamp and slap IDIOT on each of your foreheads.

I'll put it this way. Either work with us or by yourselves. We are your lifeline. You can have your organization and you should. But that does not give you any authority whatsoever to so boldly tell us what YOU want us to do without so much as a laying out single plan in an open forum. Where is your website? Where is your official member list? Don't have the big boys on board yet, do you? Where is your timeline? Where the .... is anything?

We as your consumers should be telling you what we want from you and what we expect of you. In fact we have but it has fallen on deaf ears. We have be pleading to you for months organize and get clinical test and results. Apparently we knew the urgency of this way before you. You didn't listen. Instead you were blinded by dollar signs. Now that your bottom line is threatened you want to transfer your blindness and lead us as your little warriors in a war you'll never win with this haphazard strategy.

Your ploy may work for some but I am confident most of us would verbally slap you down if you try to put that idiot stamp on our heads. That's exactly what you're doing by holding back and keeping us uniformed of your full intentions. If you want respect you've got to show respect by treating us like the adults we are and not a bunch of 2 year olds that can't think for themselves. Frankly I am insulted by your arrogant gesture of superiority. Remember - I pay you - not the other way around. You're not my pusher and I'm not your flunky junkie. This is not a street drug (yet). But it will be if you keep up with this nonsense.

That said, I have already written emails and sent snail mail to my officials. I did so because I want my representatives to be aware of what is going on and how I feel about it as it relates to me, this community and the industry. But I be damned if I'm going to support your cause when you won't even tell me what the hell it is and how you plan to conquer it. In my consumer's eye all you really do for me is take my money and in return give me a product that I can get from your source at less than half of your convenience mark-up. Remember: At this point I do not need you. You need me, the consumer or your business is nothing with or without the FDA.

Aside from all this I think most you are wonderful people. Heck, I even agree with a lot of Lacey's comments on this forum. What I've said here is strictly business related and nothing personal. Nada! K?

Had this thread been started in a different format such as:

--------------------------------------------------

1. We need your help because...

2. Details, details, details...

3. This is what we'd like to ask of you....

4. Details, details, details...

5. This is what we want to do....

6. Details, details, details...

7. This is how we plan to accomplish it...

8. Details, details, details...

--------------------------------------------------

As it is only 3 and 4 were accomplished. Much later #5 was vaguely mentioned. Had you approached this with supporting information you would have gotten a totally different response from me.

 

[Lika]

I hear you Terraphon as I asked many times only to be told that they were working with Counsel and it was not something that we (meaning us consumers) would be privy to???????????--Sun

A reputable Counsel should be able to help the suppliers association prepare and define their intent in a manner that informs the consumers without pertinent detail that might be damaging. Nothing is what it is - nothing.

 

[bizzyb0t]

I'm all for associations, and for organizing but like a few people have said-- "What is going on?"

I don't know why there has has to be this secret, hush-hush catalyst that no one but suppliers can know about. Personally, I'd like to know WHY the freak out all of a sudden.

Hopefully, someone clan clue us in.

 

[lordmage]

exactly why alot of people have gotten defenssive about the subject to hush hush but i am just gonna Eat some and watch what happens at this point i have done all i can do and am comfortble with at the present time with the present confirmed information

 

[nycsublimegirl]

There is no secret just a need among us to make sure all our ducks are in a row and establish this is in the most professional manner possible....before a formal announcement of an association.

Let me also add that when the formal announcement is made it will give you the much needed clarity on the motives of formation, all the people involved up until this point as well as the mission and intended direction it will be going in.

Consumer involvement will be highly encouraged and therefore are not looking to keep information from you but the exact opposite.

 

[Zaxx]

Terraphon- Thank You.

Monkey - Yes. At this point, there are tons of letters floating around for great examples. However, the best you can do is your own experience. Stay to what you know as fact and what you feel you can express with your pen. Stay true to yourself and to your experience with the ecig. A good question to answer or think about is: How would you be affected if the ecig was taken from you?

Sun - Thank You. I know I can count on ya! Still no party though... sorry.

Fenez - We have NO INTENTIONS of seeking FDA approval. We have full intentions of lobbying to be a self regulating industry.

There is no such thing as a self regulated industry. That is a terrible strategy. Our country has taken a hard left turn. I think that our government has made it very clear that they intend to tighten their grip on freedoms, not loosen it.

 

[OutWest]

Here's some addresses for the members of the Senate Health Committee. Some are from state election board candidate registrations, others are from various sources. And, of course, some addresses may have changed, so if the person is from your state, it might be best to double check the address.


Senate Health Committee:

Democrats by Rank

Edward Kennedy (MA)

56 Roland Street
Boston, MA 02129
​

Christopher Dodd (CT)

PO Box 51882
Washington, DC 20091
​

Tom Harkin (IA)

528 N. 43rd St.
Cumming, IA 50061
​

Barbara A. Mikulski (MD)

Brown's Wharf
1629 Thames St. Suite 400
Baltimore, MD 21231
​

Jeff Bingaman (NM)

5555 Montgomery NE, Suite 8
Albuquerque NM 87109
​

Patty Murray (WA)

PO Box 3662
Seattle, WA 98124
​

Jack Reed (RI)

1000 Chapel View Boulevard, Suite 290
Cranston, RI 02920
​

Bernard Sanders (I) (VT)

72 Killarney Drive
Burlington, VT 05402
​

Sherrod Brown (OH)

2625 E. Erie Ave.
Lorain, Ohio 44052
​

Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)

PO BOX 25311
PITTSBURGH, PA 15220
​

Kay Hagan (NC)

PO BOX 29103
GREENSBORO, NC 27429
​

Jeff Merkley (OR)

Residence:
1351 SE 114th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97216

Mailing Address:
PO Box 29136
Portland, Oregon 97296
​

Republicans by Rank

Michael B. Enzi (WY)

431 Circle Dr.
Gillette, WY 82716
​

Judd Gregg (NH)

1234 Ocean Blvd
Rye, NH 03870
​

Lamar Alexander (TN)

1453 West Millers Cove Rd.
Walland, TN 37886
​

Richard Burr (NC)

POB 5928
WINSTON SALEM, NC 27113
​

Johnny Isakson (GA)

One Overton Park
3625 Cumberland Boulevard, Suite 970
Atlanta, GA 30339
​

John McCain (AZ)

P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
​

Orrin G. Hatch (UT)

445 East 4500 South, #275
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
​

Lisa Murkowski (AK)

7510 L. Street, Suite 550
Anchorage, AK 99501

also:
PO Box 100847
Anchorage, AK 99510
​

Dr. Tom Coburn, M.D. (OK)

5408 Rolling Oaks Dr.
Muskogee, OK 74401
​

Pat Roberts (KS)

2309 Fairway Drive, Apt. B
Dodge City, KS 67801
​

 

[lordmage]

then maybe what some people need is to know what the hold ups are and the current progress is at.

 

[esmok-e]

Let's go the current trend... Have A Tea Party!!! (no offense UK members)

"Unlike in the 1958 cult movie The Blob, which featured a creature from outer space that consumed everything to which it attached itself, government is a homegrown monster, consuming ever-increasing amounts of capital," Cal Thomas writes. "And this government blob doesn't discriminate. It grows no matter which party is in charge."

We all get together for a huge rally or local rallies, we all puff away in a mass of "civil disobedience" led by Nitzkin, Godshall, Siegel, Stearns & Goerlitz petition (fill it out), polls (fill them out)

 

[Vape]

*LOOKS INTO CRYSTAL BALL*
I see suppliers raising prices as I type.........

 

[OutWest]

I was just thinking, perhaps requesting and encouraging that they place a Senatorial hold on any bill that hinders the sale of safer nicotine options (such as the Waxman bill) would be the way to go. After all, with a senatorial hold on a bill, it cannot be brought up for a vote. Dr. Coburn is known for placing senatorial holds on bills, so hopefully he'll listen to reason.

 

[eplanet]

I totally understand everyones concern's, please bare with us. There are big players involved and this formation of an association is new for us. We are working as fast as we can. We will come out with a statement and inform all of you of what exactly is happening right now.
All we are saying is everyone must stick together, we are going on a bumpy ride.
Bare in mind, we are treading on new ground.

Peace,
Josh

 

[Tone]

If the suppliers really think that the government is going to let you be self regulated for a product that is made in another counrty and has never been properly tested THEN YOU ARE ALL KIDDING YOURSELVES, In the time we live in and all the self/non regulation that has caused the global meltdown of many industries.
another plan is needed.