Hi all-
I plan on sending an email to the New Bedford Board of Health and have written a rough draft. Please feel free to comment on any of this statement that you feel should be omitted, changed or added.
In response to the New Bedford Board of Health's tobacco Regulation Ordinances.
Hello, first let me begin by stating that I am in total support of regulating the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. However I feel that a total resistriction would do more harm than good and ask that you amend the sales restriction regulation to eliminate the unnecessary and vague sales restrictions in Section E. By requiring "face-to-face" sales only of electronic cigarettes you are placing an undue harship on those individuals who otherwise would not be able to purchase these devices due to disabilitiy or lack of transportation to "walk in" stores. A more cost effective and easier way to regulate the internet sales of these devices would be to require an adult signature upon delivery.
I began using electronic cigarettes as a way to "cut costs", but in fact ended up quitting traditional cigarettes within 2 months as they no longer had any appeal to me. I had given up hope of ever quitting. My doctor would not prescribe Chantix due to its known side effects and my history with depression. I tried the patch which does "wean" you off nicotine, but a set rate that did not work for me and does not work for everyone. Since using an electronic cigarette I have cut my nicotine level myself at my own pace. My goal is to eventually be nicotine free as well.
Smoking bans are enacted to protect the public from the harm of second-hand smoke, but electronic cigarettes have not been shown to cause harm to bystanders.
* In fact, all evidence to date shows that the low health risks associated with electronic cigarettes is comparable to other smokeless nicotine products.
* This is supported by research done by Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth and Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand and by the fact that the FDA testing, in spite of its press statement, failed to find harmful levels of carcinogens or toxic levels of any chemical in the vapor.
1. Laugesen M. Health New Zealand. Poster Presentation at the Society for Research on Nicotine and tobacco conference, Dublin, April 30, 2009. http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigBenchtopHandout.pdf
2. Cahn and Siegel. Electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for tobacco control. Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy 116. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf
3. US Food and Drug Administration. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
4. Heavner K, Dunworth J, Bergen P, Nissen C, Phillips CV. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as potential tobacco harm reduction products: Results of an online survey of e-cigarette users. Tobacco Harm Reduction 2010 Yearbook, Chapter 19. http://tobaccoharmreduction.org/wpapers/011v1.pd
Vapor does not behave in the same manner as smoke does
* There is no "side stream" vapor like the side stream smoke coming from the lit end of a cigarette and unlike cigarette smoke,
* The vapor is virtually odorless and dissipates quickly.
* There is also no ash or litter.
* With so little evidence of use, enforcing indoor use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.
I would also like to point out that my husband is allergic to cigarette smoke and has not felt nor suffered any ill effects from the vapor that my electronic cigarette emitts.
Finally it has come to my attention that some would think that ecigarettes can be used for drug use. Let me respond by saying this:
E-cigarettes are simply not designed to be a drug delivery system as they typically operate at 5-10watts which heats a liquid to around the boiling point of water. Any drug that requires flame or a blow torch for delivery would be useless in an e-cigarette.
With that said I would like to point out that there are many legal products out that people use as drug delivery devices ie: Hooka's, rolling papers, blunts and glass pipes, ect. but I see no move to ban these products.
Electronic cigarettes are the only thing that have worked to stop me from smoking. I ask that you reconsider your proposed ban as it would be harmful not only to my health but to others who have this life saving alternative.
Thank you
Deborah Guardino
Chicopee MA
I plan on sending an email to the New Bedford Board of Health and have written a rough draft. Please feel free to comment on any of this statement that you feel should be omitted, changed or added.
In response to the New Bedford Board of Health's tobacco Regulation Ordinances.
Hello, first let me begin by stating that I am in total support of regulating the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. However I feel that a total resistriction would do more harm than good and ask that you amend the sales restriction regulation to eliminate the unnecessary and vague sales restrictions in Section E. By requiring "face-to-face" sales only of electronic cigarettes you are placing an undue harship on those individuals who otherwise would not be able to purchase these devices due to disabilitiy or lack of transportation to "walk in" stores. A more cost effective and easier way to regulate the internet sales of these devices would be to require an adult signature upon delivery.
I began using electronic cigarettes as a way to "cut costs", but in fact ended up quitting traditional cigarettes within 2 months as they no longer had any appeal to me. I had given up hope of ever quitting. My doctor would not prescribe Chantix due to its known side effects and my history with depression. I tried the patch which does "wean" you off nicotine, but a set rate that did not work for me and does not work for everyone. Since using an electronic cigarette I have cut my nicotine level myself at my own pace. My goal is to eventually be nicotine free as well.
Smoking bans are enacted to protect the public from the harm of second-hand smoke, but electronic cigarettes have not been shown to cause harm to bystanders.
* In fact, all evidence to date shows that the low health risks associated with electronic cigarettes is comparable to other smokeless nicotine products.
* This is supported by research done by Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth and Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand and by the fact that the FDA testing, in spite of its press statement, failed to find harmful levels of carcinogens or toxic levels of any chemical in the vapor.
1. Laugesen M. Health New Zealand. Poster Presentation at the Society for Research on Nicotine and tobacco conference, Dublin, April 30, 2009. http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigBenchtopHandout.pdf
2. Cahn and Siegel. Electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for tobacco control. Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy 116. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf
3. US Food and Drug Administration. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
4. Heavner K, Dunworth J, Bergen P, Nissen C, Phillips CV. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as potential tobacco harm reduction products: Results of an online survey of e-cigarette users. Tobacco Harm Reduction 2010 Yearbook, Chapter 19. http://tobaccoharmreduction.org/wpapers/011v1.pd
Vapor does not behave in the same manner as smoke does
* There is no "side stream" vapor like the side stream smoke coming from the lit end of a cigarette and unlike cigarette smoke,
* The vapor is virtually odorless and dissipates quickly.
* There is also no ash or litter.
* With so little evidence of use, enforcing indoor use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.
I would also like to point out that my husband is allergic to cigarette smoke and has not felt nor suffered any ill effects from the vapor that my electronic cigarette emitts.
Finally it has come to my attention that some would think that ecigarettes can be used for drug use. Let me respond by saying this:
E-cigarettes are simply not designed to be a drug delivery system as they typically operate at 5-10watts which heats a liquid to around the boiling point of water. Any drug that requires flame or a blow torch for delivery would be useless in an e-cigarette.
With that said I would like to point out that there are many legal products out that people use as drug delivery devices ie: Hooka's, rolling papers, blunts and glass pipes, ect. but I see no move to ban these products.
Electronic cigarettes are the only thing that have worked to stop me from smoking. I ask that you reconsider your proposed ban as it would be harmful not only to my health but to others who have this life saving alternative.
Thank you
Deborah Guardino
Chicopee MA
