Supplier Challenge

[Webby]

There are many municipal and state laws working their way through the courts. Some are part of agendas, but (giving benefit of a doubt) some may be simply misguided efforts by politicians trying to protect the public. What would be best, would be to schedule an appointment and personally demonstrate an e-cig to them (time and resources obviously negate that possibility.)

Rather than continuing to stack chips on our shoulders, (donning our best hip waders for the inevitable pissing contests) I'd like to propose this:

As a supplier, I would like to pledge to send 25 basic 510 kits to any AG or legislators who may be proposing legislation based solely on their "understanding" of electronic cigarettes without having seen one first hand. Bill Godshall and Lacey should be able to easily fill those first 25 slots, so the challenge goes out to my fellow suppliers to pick up the slack and make similar offers.

We pride ourselves on being educated on the virtues of e-cigs. Let's take the higher road and let them see what e-cigs are. Based on the conversations I've had with several of the people leading the anti-e-cig fight, many have honestly never even seen an e-cig!

It boggles the mind, but it's true. No - not everyone will be swayed by a live demo or sample kit, but it is a small price to pay to make the effort. I am certainly willing to pony up a few kits to place an e-cig in the hands of the people (with the power to ban them) in order to know we made the effort to convince them with more than words.

 

[JustJulie]

Great idea, Webby.

 

[laurel099]

That is a great idea!! Thanks for that and I really hope to see other suppliers jump on board too!! So many people that have a negative view of the e-cigs have never even seen the darn things! Thank you!!!

 

[Bill Godshall]

I agree with Webby that e-cigarette vendors (as well as e-cigarette users and public health experts) need to better educate key government officials about e-cigarettes.

The problem is identifying which government officials to contact, as there are thousands of state legislators and tens of thousands of local council members. Meanwhile, US Congress is the least of our worries.

Clearly, our priority should be elected officials who have proposed anti e-cigarette legislation (or who are members of a legislative body in which anti e-cigarette legislation has been introduced and is pending).

State AGs are another concern, as they typically don't require approval by the legislature to go after individuals, organizations and products that they target
So far, AGs in Oregon and Connecticut have launched unwarranted attacks on e-cigarettes, and that number could increase (especially if Judge Leon's ruling favors the FDA over SE and njoy).

State health departments are also a concern, as they can influence state legislators and AGs (but most health departments don't have the legal authority to ban a product's sale or usage). The Virginia Health Dept. has recently launched an attack on e-cigarettes, and I'll try to deal with that situation in coming weeks.

 

[dubnluvn]

Great idea! I'd love to see a running tally on whom gave what to whom. It would be awesome to see some feedback from them, if any, as well. We could then monitor their position and see how much affect this type of program has.

 

[dubnluvn]

So...any suppliers acting on this???

 

[markarich159]

So...any suppliers acting on this???

No and here's why(read this post from another thread):

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ant-protect-your-right-vape-4.html#post893661

I'm convinced most,not all, of the e-cig suppliers are doing this part time to make a little extra cash(and the absolute LACK of any regulation makes it easy for ANYONE to become a supplier). When e-cigs are banned they'll go back to their full time gig. There is no supplier concern for the "industry" in general.

 

[Lab]

If they ban them I will start selling them.. there is a legal way around everything but pre-filled carts.. it just means a bit higher cost for packaging. as far as the e-cig can not ban a battery, or a heating coil. so they are safe..

as far as the liquids.. you can ban sales of liquids.. so to get around this you sell a package that contains pure nicotine that is put in the main dropper bottle.. then small vials of all the other ingredients so the person buying has to make it themselves.

look at illegal items ghb .... its illegal to sell them made.. but none of the ingredients used to make them are illegal or banned for sale, and could be sold freely

 

[markarich159]

If they ban them I will start selling them.. there is a legal way around everything but pre-filled carts.. it just means a bit higher cost for packaging. as far as the e-cig can not ban a battery, or a heating coil. so they are safe..

That's called....drug dealing

as far as the liquids.. you can ban sales of liquids.. so to get around this you sell a package that contains pure nicotine that is put in the main dropper bottle.. then small vials of all the other ingredients so the person buying has to make it themselves.

That's called illegally shipping poisons.... pure nicotine is a deadly poison that can be absorbed through the skin readily. I'm sure only 1-2% of your customers will have to be rushed to the hospital if they're careful.

look at illegal items ghb .... its illegal to sell them made.. but none of the ingredients used to make them are illegal or banned for sale, and could be sold freely

You couldn't be more wrong. The DEA has a precursor list and almost every component chemical to make any illegal drug is listed and watched carefully. That's why you have to sign when you buy more then 6 boxes of nasal decongestants now.

 

[Lab]

That's called....drug dealing



That's called illegally shipping poisons.... pure nicotine is a deadly poison that can be absorbed through the skin readily. I'm sure only 1-2% of your customers will have to be rushed to the hospital if they're careful.





You couldn't be more wrong. The DEA has a precursor list and almost every component chemical to make any illegal drug is listed and watched carefully. That's why you have to sign when you buy more then 6 boxes of nasal decongestants now.

but they are 100% legal to buy and sell. decongestants are for a low grade product anyways.. to protect the customers all it takes is a vial with syringe top so when they do get to it, it is after diluting it.. some postal services will allow it maybe not usps.

 

[eplanet]

Webby,

We were directly involved in stopping a full out ban of ecigs in Suffolk County Long Island last year. I and others met with many local legislators and went to all of the hearings... Ecigs now fall under the same guidelines as the smoking ban, but they are still legal. I would hope all suppliers would do the same in their states. Educating your local officials is very important and most of them do not even know what an ecig is, they just do what they want without research...


Peace......

 

[dubnluvn]

Kudos to you eplanet. In light of the recent ruling, now is the time for suppliers to take a vastly more proactive roll in their communities and reaching out to other communities as well. I think Webby's suggestion is on point and really urge suppliers to act on it, as well as seeking face to face meetings with local reps as eplanet has done. Is anyone up to the challenge?

 

[Webby]

Judge Leon has bought us some time, but the battle will slide into the trenches quickly. Any anti-vaping AG will certainly be taking up the effort in earnest on a more local level and the uneducated (to give benefit of a doubt to their efforts as merely misguided) local leaders will continue to misuse anti-smoking campaign tactics to lump e-cigs in with their propaganda.

Thomas Jefferson said "The price of democracy is eternal vigilance." Trust me, this will get nastier before it gets better. CASAA and other groups will be there to support any grass roots effort with campaign materials, advice and documented proof but you have to ask for it.

I urge any local ativist efforts to incorporate help from wherever you can. CASAA is just one of those groups offering support. You should also contact the ECA, RtV, Vaper's Forum and solo efforts like those being run by Bill Godshall. (Forgive me anyone I have missed) who can all give you materials and guidance to help you in convincing your local legislators to keep e-cigarettes legal in your community.

 

[markarich159]

Thomas Jefferson said "The price of democracy is eternal vigilance."

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance - Thomas Jefferson misattributed, the actual quote was "The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance" by John Philpot Curran in a speech upon the Right of Election in 1790.

 

[Webby]

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance - Thomas Jefferson misattributed, the actual quote was "The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance" by John Philpot Curran in a speech upon the Right of Election in 1790.

...and believe it or not Joan Jett has been mistakenly credited with writing the immortal words, "my baby does the hanky panky" (a slap in the face to Tommy James & the Shondells) My apologies to John Philpot Curran and President Jefferson.

I do stand behind the belief that we are in for a barrage of skirmish-level attacks at the local level.

 

[dubnluvn]

I'm very surprised we haven't seen more feedback from suppliers. Whatever they are doing it would be great to hear about it and compare results with what others are doing.

 

[Vocalek]

Looks like Kansas could use some help:

Lawmakers Clamp Down on E-Cigarettes | KCPW

 

[SantanzChild]

Looks like Kansas could use some help:

Lawmakers Clamp Down on E-Cigarettes | KCPW

Im moving to kansas city in a few weeks.... This aint good.

 

[Momof3]

Looks like Kansas could use some help:

Lawmakers Clamp Down on E-Cigarettes | KCPW

KCPW comes up as Utah for me. Not Kansas. Is there a different link?

 

[Webby]

I'm very surprised we haven't seen more feedback from suppliers. Whatever they are doing it would be great to hear about it and compare results with what others are doing.

CASAA's actually had offers from several suppliers to help. Since they didn't post publicly, I'm hesitant to name them here, but the offer to help is appreciated nonetheless!