Savannah Needs our help TODAY !!!

[Doctor Vapor]

The third reading of the proposed smoking ban in Savannah is Aug 12th. The ban includes e-cigs. Please read the following and get some letters off to the Savannah City Council if you can. Even if it won't get there by Aug 12th, write a letter anyway. I don't know when the final vote is so even if your letter doesn't arrive by Aug 12th it may still have an impact.

"CASAA does not yet have any regional reps from Georgia, so this is an open letter to any and all Georgia vapers.

Healthy Savannah has convinced the City of Savannah to try to pass a new smoking ban ordinance that includes e-cigs within the ban. Here is the proposed ordinance:
http://www.savannahga.gov/cityweb/Sa...20July 9.pdf

According to this news article, they also intend to try to get this passed as a Chatham County-wide measure. See:

"Healthy Savannah does plan to introduce a similar ordinance for all of Chatham County" For and against, public speaks out on smoking | savannahnow.com

Unfortunately, we did not find out about this until the first two public hearings on the City of Savannah only ordinance were already held.

However, there is a third public hearing on the Savannah ordinance sceduled for August 12, according to this news report:
Third hearing on Smoke-Free Savannah ordinance set - WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports |

CASAA is planning to send a letter and packet of information to the Savannah Mayor and City Council members, similar to what we did for Albany County in NY and other locales. But the most critical need is for people on the ground there in Georgia, and ideally right in Savannah of course, to not only attend the public hearing, but also to contact people by phone, request meetings, bring them information such as the AAPHP position paper and other writings and studies from experts, and bring them e-cigs to demonstrate what they are and how they work, etc, etc.

It might be a good idea to contact Healthy Savannah directly as well.

So I'm hopeful that Georgia members of ECF will talk among themselves and consider taking on this battle, not only for any actual Savannah or Chatham County residents among you, but also for vapers everywhere in the US; with each success in any given locality, the antis gain momentum and possibly an easier win in the next locality they move on to."

And here is the list of Savannah City Council members to contact:

Mayor Otis Johnson, Ph.D
P.O. Box 1027
Savannah, GA 31402
912-651-6444
otis_johnson@savannahga.gov

Edna B. Jackson
Savannah City Council Member
2227 N. Fernwood Ct.
Savannah, GA 31404
912-355-6323
EdnaJackson3@comcast.net

Jeff Felser
Savannah City Council Member
101 East 57th Street
Savannah, GA 31405
PO Box 10286
Savannah, GA 31412
912-232-5353
jfelser@sabrelink.com
Under Construction

Van R. Johnson, II
Savannah City Council Member
Post Office Box 9141
Savannah, GA 31412
912-236-9494
aldermanjohnson1@aol.com
Alderman Van R. Johnson, II: Welcome

Mary Osborne
Savannah City Council Member
642 E. 41st St.
Savannah, GA 31401
Cell: 912-507-7186
alderwoman.osborne@gmail.com

Larry Stuber
Savannah City Council Member
1406 Bacon Park Drive
Savannah, GA 31406
Phone: 354-0357
larrystuber@bellsouth.net

Mary Ellen Sprague
Savannah City Council Member
40 East 45th Street
Savannah, GA 31405
912-232-2484
memesprague@juno.com

Clifton Jones, Jr.
Savannah City Council Member
1724 Stuyvesant St.
Savannah, GA 31405
912-232-3270
cliftonjjr@aol.com

Tony Thomas
Savannah City Council Member
18 Vernonburg Ave.
Savannah, GA 31419
912-927-7170
aldermanthomas@aol.com

Here is the CASAA legislative packet:

http://www.casaa.org/files/CASAA_Leg...r_Bans_Web.pdf

 

[Doctor Vapor]

Here is a copy of a letter I'm sending to every council person and the mayor. I am personalizing each letter. I hope you can write your own versions and get them off. A good letter should be informative, but less than one page in length.

July 8, 2010

Tony Thomas
Savannah City Council Member
18 Vernonburg Ave.
Savannah, GA 31419

Dear Mr. Thomas;

As a healthcare provider, I support your efforts to improve the health of the citizens of Savannah. However, your proposed ban on electronic cigarettes or "e-cigarettes" has the opposite effect. The e-cigarette, mentioned in section "O" of the proposed smoking ban is not a tobacco product and has helped millions of people stop smoking world wide. I know, I'm one of them.

O. "Smoking" means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette,
or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, in any
manner or in any form. "Smoking" also includes the use of an e-cigarette which creates a vapor,
in any manner or in any form, or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of
circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this Article.

The e-cigarette only looks like smoking. There is actually no smoke, no odor, no toxins, and no second hand anything. The only thing one sees is a water vapor that is exhaled by the user which contains nothing harmful. The e-cigarette has tremendous health benefits and I recommend them to my patients who smoke and wish to quit.

I read with interest Mayor Johnson's quote of Aug 02 on WTOC's website "Mayor Johnson is pushing hard for a smoke free Savannah, and says he is open to changes. "We're going to try and take a rational approach to this," he said.

I pray that the changes you are open to include striking the language in section "O" of the proposed ordinance including e-cigarettes in your city's smoking ban. E-cigarettes are life savers and should not be confused with tobacco products.

Please feel free to call me if I may answer any questions for you concerning e-cigarettes.

Sincerely
Dr. Christopher R. Nubel


Summerville, SC
(xxx) xxx-xxx

 

[kno]

I was in Savannah last night, My mother lives in Chatham county... i'll have to call and inform her of this.

 

[vapure_ak]

I will tell all that I know to please send a letter as well. I agree with you Dr. Vapor. For every win that we have hopefully it will get us one step closer to a more understanding from others. Thanks for the info.

Amanda

 

[Countryboy06bw]

u got my help doc, it'll give me a break from the usual run around.

 

[Doctor Vapor]

Cool....kick'em out as fast as you can. The next public discussion on this is in 4 days. They may be voting on it as soon as then. If you can get letters to the post office by early tomorrow, there is a good chance they will be read before the next meeting. Our towns in SC could be next.