Organizations with the Ability to Listen

[LaceyUnderall]

A little history on how this thread came about:

In the thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...tial-kentucky-ban-help-e-mail.html#post560774 SheriD noted that the best way to get the ecig/PV message out in KY would be to go through a group like Reclaiming Liberty! :: Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions They are for freedom of choice, open markets, etc. They also greatly oppose the smoking ban.

Then in Ohio, while researching for California, I found The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions

If we look back at history, specifically the smoking bans, when one state goes, they all follow suit shortly thereafter. It is most important that we be as proactive as possible, which IMHO, we are all doing a most excellent job.

It is time to turn our voices to independent organizations who will listen to us. Who accept that while smoking tobacco cigarettes is not the most healthy option of choice, being able to choose an alternative is our freedom to do and we should be continued that right.

For those who know organizations who have the ability to listen and possibly help us spread our message, please feel free to post those in this thread. IMHO, that's where our letter writing campaigns need to begin to focus.

It would be most helpful as well if you do know of an organization, we do need someone from every state to help focus other constituents of said states in the right direction. Help gather info/persons for your state... In any thread where you see someone who seems as if they would be interested in participating in sending a letter, to encourage them to do so.

If we can get enough states together, I will organize and with the help of a mod, hopefully get a stickied thread so it can be easily referenced by state.

May the next spaghetti fling begin!

EDIT: I have deliberately not just posted contact information, but info to the organizations website. IMHO, it is very important that if you do choose to contact any of these organizations, which I hope you do, you take a moment to read through their website, understanding who they are how to address them. You might find a contact that works for you and that is what is important. You might find that you don't necessarily agree with a particular groups mission and that is all right too.

 

[sherid]

Reason Foundation - About the Reason Foundation is one.

 

[sherid]

CAGE Canada is very good. CAGE

 

[Oliver]

And the first campaigning sub-forum is set!

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Thanks Smokey!

OHIOANS:

From Sherid on another thread:

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions
Here is their stance of smoking bans, "Meanwhile, the conservative Buckeye Institute is suing the state, saying Ohio is too strictly enforcing the statewide smoking ban that voters approved in 2006."

So, yes, they would definitely be a great group to back this. As some of us have said for a long time now, you cannot distance yourself from the smokers because the issue is exactly the same. I am disgusted every time I hear someone on here resort to the language of the anti-smokers when they refer to smoking and smokers. Ironically, nearly everyone who posts this garbage was himself a smoker a week or couple of months ago. Anyone writing to any of these groups should not write at all if they are going to use a sense of superiority over smokers. These groups back freedom from bans. They see any ban as encroaching.

 

[Oliver]

Lacey - perhaps you should post your last post as a new thread too?

 

[eplanet]

omg, I am somewhere between 2 threads...but they are the same...

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Organizations for United States (ISIL Freedom Network)

To note alcohol and tobacco freedom groups: http://www.isil.org/network/us/C19/T14.1/

 

[Christina]

Here's one possibility for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Foundation
They have a small section on smoking though it is sadly out of date:
Smoking
I'll keep looking for something a little more active.

 

[dragonpuff]

I think there needs to be some focus on New York state. This state has a history of pioneering new laws and trying to break or overturn old ones "for the public good." A few examples:

1) New York was one of the first states to issue a state-wide smoking ban in all public places, including privately-owned businesses.

2) New York was the first state to ban use of a hand-held cell phone while driving, requiring use of a headset instead, before studies were done showing why. Long after this bill was passed, studies came out showing that using a headset makes no difference because it is not the occupation of your hands that makes this dangerous, its the distraction. New York still has not done anything to change the law incorporating this new information. (Not e-cig related, but it shows how New York state handles things.)

3) For several years the government of New York state has been trying to force Native American reservations to apply state taxes to their sales of cigarettes and gas, violating international treaties that were laid down hundreds of years ago to protect the sovereignty of the Indian Nations.

4) The recent debacle in Suffolk county, of which we are all well aware.

Based on all of this, I believe that New York will become one of the first states to ban electronic cigarettes. They have a history of putting taxes and "public health" before the rights of the people, and they enjoy passing legislation that gets them noticed by the nation.

Unfortunately i'm having a real hard time finding any New York state citizen's group that could help us in that state (besides the vaper's clubs that we already know). i've tried a number of searches but all i keep coming up with are the COUNTLESS ny state government departments who take the same ASH-style anti-smoking stance as everyone else.

If anyone knows of an organization in New York (or how to find them), please post!!

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Dragon -

Someone for you to review: DMI > About

Let me know what you think... if it's a good one... we can start a thread for NY.

 

[dragonpuff]

Dragon -

Someone for you to review: DMI > About

Let me know what you think... if it's a good one... we can start a thread for NY.

Quote from their mission statement: "We seek to change policy by conducting research into overlooked but important social and economic issues, by leveraging our strategic relationships to engage policymakers and opinion-leaders in our work and by offering platforms to amplify the ideas of those who are working for social and economic fairness. The goal: progressive public policy to strengthen and expand our ever-more squeezed middle class and aspiring middle class."

They don't appear to have any history working with tobacco-control policies, but I could see them pushing for harm-reduction strategies in an attempt to improve the health of the disproportionately large amount of smokers in the middle and lower classes.

I think they would be willing to help once they find that current anti-tobacco policies aren't working and are preventing people from utilizing less harmful alternatives to smoking.

The only catch is that they work primarily for New York City and on a national level, not particularly for the state. But i still think it's worthwhile

Thank you Lacey!

 

[Vocalek]

This group does not yet include Tobacco, but I believe we should contact them and ask them to consider adding us to their mission.


Harm Reduction Coalition : Index

Contact

East Coast Office:

22 West 27th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 213-6376
Fax: (212) 213-6582
e-mail: hrc [a] harmreduction.org

[FONT=times new roman,times,serif]Harm Reduction Training Institute (NY):

[/FONT]22 West 27th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 683-2334
Fax: (212) 213-6582
e-mail: hrti [a] harmreduction.org
West Coast Office:

1440 Broadway, Suite 510
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 444-6969
Fax: (510) 444-6977
e-mail: hrcwest [a] harmreduction.org

 

[mtndude]

posted this in another thread. seems to fit in here. i can't attest to how fair FAIR is... but some good info there.

http://www.fair.org

FAIR wants to hear about your media activism. Please send copies of your letters to journalists to
FAIR
112 W. 27th St.
New York, NY 10001
fair@fair.org

adding this, because it's somewhat buried on the site:
Fair.org Media Activism Kit

 

[sherid]

Freedom Works is in the news today as they are marching on Washington DC by the thousands. I found this on their site concerning smoking ban, so I think they might listen.
FreedomWorks North Carolina Takes on Smoking Ban | FreedomWorks

 

[sherid]

Health, Welfare & Entitlements | Cato Institute
Cato's entitlement research demonstrates that consumers are better off when they, and not the government, are in charge of how their money is spent. This applies to health care, Social Security, and other areas where the government currently controls the dispersal of our tax dollars. In particular, Cato has been a longtime advocate of deregulating the health care industry, so that consumers can afford the health care insurance and treatment of their choice, and privatizing Social Security

 

[nojoyet]

CAGE Canada is very good. CAGE

Please see note/question (Caution) on the Canada thread.

 

[eric]

I've contacted 'The John Birch Society' a few times. Nothing promising, but maybe if more folks blew their phone lines up they'd grant us some legitimacy.

 

[Bill Godshall]

While I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to solicit advocacy assistance from any organization or individual, many/most of the organizations cited (on this section of the forum) are libertarian, anti tax, anti government, right-to-smoke and/or right wing (i.e. Republicans).

Although any and all support is desirable, I think the most important organizations to solicit support for e-cigarettes (as alternatives to cigarettes) are health, healthcare, scientific, liberal, and anti-smoking organizations (i.e. Democratics).

Most e-cigarette prohibitionists and critics are anti-tobacco extremists, liberal or left wing.

If the contraversy over e-cigarettes becomes too partisan (as appears to becoming the case), e-cigarettes could well be banned in jurisdications controlled by Democrats.

Also, while many anti tax and libertarian organizations may be sympathetic to e-cigarettes, many/most of those organizations only advocate for/against legislation that is of financial concern to their wealthy corporate and/or right wing contributors.

 

[Vocalek]

We'd welcome any suggestions you might have.

The very organizations I thought would be thrilled about people no longer lighting up tobacco cigarettes are our very vocal opponents. It boggles my mind that the Lung Assocation wants me to go back to wheezing and coughing up junk every morning. It seems that sticking to their moral stance of "nicotine abstinence" is much more important to them than the problem of people getting sick and dying.