hello
i got this off one of my many politicians today.. i sent the email template from here with obvious adjustments + my story..
here is it:
Dear Ria,
Thank you for your recent e-mail about e-cigarettes.
In common with all my Labour colleagues including my fellow North West MEP
Arlene McCarthy, to whom you have also written on this matter, I have
received many letters and e-mails from constituents over the last few weeks,
telling me how e-cigarettes have helped them to quit smoking and how
concerned they are that EU proposals to regulate these products could result
in an effective ban. The first point I would like to stress is that there
has been a lot of misinformation circulating about a possible ban on
e-cigarettes. Can I assure you from the outset that no-one wants to ban
e-cigarettes.
My colleague Linda McAvan is the MEP leading this draft legislation
through
the European Parliament, and she has taken evidence from e-cigarette
companies, as well as from users, regulators and doctors. Linda sees
e-cigarettes as a promising development in smoking cessation and she has
spoken to many doctors, who specialise in
tobacco related illnesses and who
have been recommending them to their patients.
For its part, the UK government has been looking at this issue for several
years and has recently concluded that e-cigarettes should be regulated in
the same way as nicotine gums and patches, in other words under light-touch
medicines legislation. In a recent vote in the European Parliament’s Health
Committee, a majority of MEPs agreed with this approach.
Linda takes the view that the ‘medicines’ label would change very little in
terms of the availability of e-cigarettes in the UK. Over-the-counter
products like paracetamol are already widely sold in supermarkets, corner
shops and garages, as well as in pharmacies. Due to the fact that nicotine
is already a well-known substance, e-cigarettes would not be required to
undertake costly clinical trials, which may have pushed up prices. Moreover,
there could even be some advantages in terms of a lower rate of VAT and the
possibility of e-cigarettes being available free to patients on
prescription.
Some constituents have raised concerns about extra-strong and flavoured
e-cigarettes being banned under the medicines route, but that would be a
decision for the UK regulator. We on the Labour side in the European
Parliament would be in favour of maintaining a wide choice for consumers, as
long as the safety and quality of the product is proven.
Health organisations including Cancer Research, the British Heart
Foundation, ASH, and doctors associations have all come out in support of
the UK government medicines’ approach, as this would ensure that
e-cigarettes are not promoted to children or non-smokers, creating a new
generation of nicotine addicts. You may be aware that there have already
been some press reports about schools having to ban e-cigarettes from their
premises. Adopting a medicines’ approach would also mean that the products
are monitored, as little is known about long-term effects.
These are still early days in the legislative process and we are still a
long way away from any changes being implemented. The final legislation will
only be agreed following a negotiation process involving MEPs and government
Ministers from all 28 EU member countries. If and when a deal is eventually
reached, Linda McAvan is working to ensure that e-cigarette companies will
have several extra years in which to adapt to the new rules, so that there
are no interruptions to the supply of these products.
I hope you will find this helpful.
Best wishes,
Brian Simpson MEP
so this is in regards to uk/EU perhaps anyway! it sounds ok, but it's whether it will be as widely available as paracetamol or not..
) and included their contact information, may be contacted by a media outfit for more details about their experience with e-cigs. We might not know until the report is publicized.
