Chris Davies MEP Needs your help

[KulrMeStoopid]

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/comm...eed_your_opinions_of_e_cigarettes/?ref=twtrec

[h=3]I need your opinions of e-cigarettes[/h]9:12am Wednesday 10th April 2013 in Comment
MILLIONS of e-cigarettes are now being sold. They can help smokers cut their habit by meeting the craving for nicotine without the use of tobacco that is so damaging to health.
Only water vapour is exhaled, not smelly smoke.
However, the content of e-cigarettes varies and their sale is unregulated.
There are concerns that they could provide a new means of introducing young people to smoking.
Nicotine is highly addictive and proposals now before the European Parliament would severely restrict the amount that can be included within an e-cigarette.
Maybe this would be sensible, but maybe it would reduce their value as an alternative to smoking.

Votes are due before long and, as the Liberal Democrat spokesman on public health, I would welcome the views of readers who have personal or professional experience.
Should the sale of e-cigarettes be allowed in newsagents and garages, or only in pharmacies?
Should flavouring be permitted?
I can be contacted by email at [email protected] or at the address on my website.
Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West





Write to him!! He's willing to listen!!!!

 

[Mark]

Posted up on FB groups and tweeted. Good find

 

[Nelliescroggit]

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/comm...eed_your_opinions_of_e_cigarettes/?ref=twtrec

I need your opinions of e-cigarettes

Write to him!! He's willing to listen!!!!

Well I had a go...it's a bit of a ramble but.....


Dear Mr. Davies,

Thank you for inviting correspondence on e-cigarettes/vaping. My story is very common amongst those who have switched from smoking cigarettes and I believe it also highlights a number of misconceptions about vaping.


As a smoker of 33 years, smoking over 20 a day of 'normal strength' cigarettes I had tried all the NRT patches, gum etc (not champix-the side effect profile is too horrendous-including death!) and none of them worked! I believe this is because none of them truly mimic smoking; in terms of nicotine dose delivery and in my case, the most important thing; the physical action of smoking. Also weight gain, for me, was a great concern; well over a stone in 3 weeks. You can't suck on a nicotine patch with a cup of coffee! So I started smoking again and the weight came off without any effort on my part.


I realised that, moving towards my mid 50s, whilst I had been lucky so far regarding my health, I needed to do something, so after a lot of internet research, I bought a V2Cigs starter kit; 2 batteries, charger, pre-filled cartridges in tobacco & coffee flavour (12mg). Since the day this kit arrived and I'd charged the batteries, I have never smoked another cigarette. My weight gain was only about 7lbs and stabilised there, which I can live with. That day was 1.11.12. The tobacco cartridges are still sitting in my cupboard! Within a week, I realised that tobacco flavour was the last thing I wanted to taste and bought 12mg, pre-filled cartridges in coffee, vanilla, cola and chocolate. I would estimate at least half of the people who have switched to vaping are the same. We simply don't like tobacco flavours any more.


Within a few weeks of starting to vape and reading the forums, I soon understood that there were a lot better devices than my little cigalikes as they tend to be called. Kit with much larger batteries which last all day and large tanks to hold enough e-liquid for all day and as you will see from my attached photo, they look absolutely nothing like cigarettes! It is now a bit of a hobby for me and I must stress that I am NOT vaping with the intention of quitting nicotine, I am vaping because I choose it as a harm reduction alternative to lighting tobacco. I do not consider myself in need of treatment; i do not have an illness or disease, I do not require a prescription to make me well. Once again, the majority of vapers are not vaping to quit nicotine, they are choosing a safer alternative, buying their supplies from small companies in the UK & US that are well regulated and using pharmaceutical grade and food grade ingredients.


With regard to the harm reduction argument I defy anyone who looks at the ingredients of a UK/US produced vaping device and compares them with the ingredients in a cigarette, to argue that vaping is not less harmful. Incidentally, two files of evidence (630 pages) have been presented, by the German IGED, to
- Mrs Linda McAvan MEP
- Mrs. Dr. Martina Pötschke-Langer
- Dr. Konstantions Farsalinos
- Karl - Heinz Florenz MEP
- Mr MEP Matthias Groote
- Dr. Peter Liese MEP http://www.e-rauchen-wahrheiten.de/
A translation stated they have done this to stop the frequent 'There is no evidence' argument!


I am angry because the EU seem quite happy to leave a known killer (cigarettes) available for sale freely, yet wish to legislate electronic vaping devices into oblivion, which is effectively what the 4mg limit will do. I am also well aware of the potential loss of revenue to pharmaceutical companies, since their NRT products have a long term success rate of less than 10% (that's being optimistic and I do wonder how any medical product got/keeps it's licence with a 90% failure rate!)). Also the anti-smoking zealots including WHO who say 'quit or die', we don't want anyone vaping or it will undermine our denormalization of smoking! It will also put many of their jobs on the line, since electronic cigarettes, at their current rate of uptake will stop more people smoking in the next five years than they have ever, or will ever achieve. Being cynical, I believe this whole fiasco has a number of these organisations (and money) behind it. However 4 EU countries have already had court cases which overturn the proposal and state that electronic cigarettes cannot be classified as medicine for the same reasons I stated earlier.


Unfortunately, nicotine has been tarred (excuse the pun!) with the same brush as tobacco, but it is in the lighting of tobacco, that the real danger lies. I believe it was Clive Bates who worked out the potential harm and said that in would be more dangerous for a smoker to continue smoking for one more month before quitting, than to vape for their entire life, and that truly puts the relative risks into perspective. Nicotine is not the killer, in fact I have heard a number of experts liken it to caffeine in terms of potential harm. Nicotine is addictive, caffeine is addictive, tobacco is a proven killer, so why isn't all the the effort being put into reducing the availability of a killer product? I might as well state that people should have to go to their doctor to receive a prescription of espresso coffee and only decaf should be on general sale!


Incidentally, the argument regarding young people, I feel is a non-starter as many vaping parents have discovered! Kids smoke and drink to look 'cool and rebellious' and most often due to peer pressure, and an electronic cigarette and a can of Kaliber simply do not have the desired effect! I'm sorry I can't find the exact study, but I'm sure it will appear in some of the e-mails you're sent, the only young people who had tried/wanted to try an electronic cigarette were those already smoking tobacco cigarettes and to be honest, I would much prefer a teenager who is going to smoke to choose an electronic cigarette, but it seems they are just not 'cool'. Regarding the argument that the e-liquid could be swallowed by children, so could bleach, de-icer, cointreau, tia maria, cleaning products, lemon sink cleaner, orange drain unblocker- the list is endless. Any potentially poisonous products must be stored appropriately if there are children in the house (or are we going to ban them all?).
Also if you look at the electronic cigarette websites in the UK you will see the OVER 18 ONLY and NICOTINE is ADDICTIVE banners on all their front/home pages. And they are well regulated by current consumer legislation.


Many vapers, including myself are stockpiling nicotine base in the freezer (which has an almost indefinite shelf life if stored correctly) and polls on the forums have shown that vapers will source their products from outside the EU if necessary, rather than return to smoking. In a recent poll on POTV over 70% said they would be prepared to obtain their e-liquid illegally or from questionable sources, rather that return to smoking. Another 10% said they would return to cigarettes.


i am sure you will receive many e-mails on the subject and I understand that you must sift through all the evidence but, please, the majority of vapers have got back their health and their life and we feel so strongly that the choice we have made (and ultimately a healthier life) should remain available to us.


Once again, thank you for taking the time to ask for and read this e-mail,


Best regards

 

[Mark]

Well I had a go...it's a bit of a ramble but.....
View attachment 6118

Dear Mr. Davies,

Thank you for inviting correspondence on e-cigarettes/vaping. My story is very common amongst those who have switched from smoking cigarettes and I believe it also highlights a number of misconceptions about vaping.


As a smoker of 33 years, smoking over 20 a day of 'normal strength' cigarettes I had tried all the NRT patches, gum etc (not champix-the side effect profile is too horrendous-including death!) and none of them worked! I believe this is because none of them truly mimic smoking; in terms of nicotine dose delivery and in my case, the most important thing; the physical action of smoking. Also weight gain, for me, was a great concern; well over a stone in 3 weeks. You can't suck on a nicotine patch with a cup of coffee! So I started smoking again and the weight came off without any effort on my part.


I realised that, moving towards my mid 50s, whilst I had been lucky so far regarding my health, I needed to do something, so after a lot of internet research, I bought a V2Cigs starter kit; 2 batteries, charger, pre-filled cartridges in tobacco & coffee flavour (12mg). Since the day this kit arrived and I'd charged the batteries, I have never smoked another cigarette. My weight gain was only about 7lbs and stabilised there, which I can live with. That day was 1.11.12. The tobacco cartridges are still sitting in my cupboard! Within a week, I realised that tobacco flavour was the last thing I wanted to taste and bought 12mg, pre-filled cartridges in coffee, vanilla, cola and chocolate. I would estimate at least half of the people who have switched to vaping are the same. We simply don't like tobacco flavours any more.


Within a few weeks of starting to vape and reading the forums, I soon understood that there were a lot better devices than my little cigalikes as they tend to be called. Kit with much larger batteries which last all day and large tanks to hold enough e-liquid for all day and as you will see from my attached photo, they look absolutely nothing like cigarettes! It is now a bit of a hobby for me and I must stress that I am NOT vaping with the intention of quitting nicotine, I am vaping because I choose it as a harm reduction alternative to lighting tobacco. I do not consider myself in need of treatment; i do not have an illness or disease, I do not require a prescription to make me well. Once again, the majority of vapers are not vaping to quit nicotine, they are choosing a safer alternative, buying their supplies from small companies in the UK & US that are well regulated and using pharmaceutical grade and food grade ingredients.


With regard to the harm reduction argument I defy anyone who looks at the ingredients of a UK/US produced vaping device and compares them with the ingredients in a cigarette, to argue that vaping is not less harmful. Incidentally, two files of evidence (630 pages) have been presented, by the German IGED, to
- Mrs Linda McAvan MEP
- Mrs. Dr. Martina Pötschke-Langer
- Dr. Konstantions Farsalinos
- Karl - Heinz Florenz MEP
- Mr MEP Matthias Groote
- Dr. Peter Liese MEP http://www.e-rauchen-wahrheiten.de/
A translation stated they have done this to stop the frequent 'There is no evidence' argument!


I am angry because the EU seem quite happy to leave a known killer (cigarettes) available for sale freely, yet wish to legislate electronic vaping devices into oblivion, which is effectively what the 4mg limit will do. I am also well aware of the potential loss of revenue to pharmaceutical companies, since their NRT products have a long term success rate of less than 10% (that's being optimistic and I do wonder how any medical product got/keeps it's licence with a 90% failure rate!)). Also the anti-smoking zealots including WHO who say 'quit or die', we don't want anyone vaping or it will undermine our denormalization of smoking! It will also put many of their jobs on the line, since electronic cigarettes, at their current rate of uptake will stop more people smoking in the next five years than they have ever, or will ever achieve. Being cynical, I believe this whole fiasco has a number of these organisations (and money) behind it. However 4 EU countries have already had court cases which overturn the proposal and state that electronic cigarettes cannot be classified as medicine for the same reasons I stated earlier.


Unfortunately, nicotine has been tarred (excuse the pun!) with the same brush as tobacco, but it is in the lighting of tobacco, that the real danger lies. I believe it was Clive Bates who worked out the potential harm and said that in would be more dangerous for a smoker to continue smoking for one more month before quitting, than to vape for their entire life, and that truly puts the relative risks into perspective. Nicotine is not the killer, in fact I have heard a number of experts liken it to caffeine in terms of potential harm. Nicotine is addictive, caffeine is addictive, tobacco is a proven killer, so why isn't all the the effort being put into reducing the availability of a killer product? I might as well state that people should have to go to their doctor to receive a prescription of espresso coffee and only decaf should be on general sale!


Incidentally, the argument regarding young people, I feel is a non-starter as many vaping parents have discovered! Kids smoke and drink to look 'cool and rebellious' and most often due to peer pressure, and an electronic cigarette and a can of Kaliber simply do not have the desired effect! I'm sorry I can't find the exact study, but I'm sure it will appear in some of the e-mails you're sent, the only young people who had tried/wanted to try an electronic cigarette were those already smoking tobacco cigarettes and to be honest, I would much prefer a teenager who is going to smoke to choose an electronic cigarette, but it seems they are just not 'cool'. Regarding the argument that the e-liquid could be swallowed by children, so could bleach, de-icer, cointreau, tia maria, cleaning products, lemon sink cleaner, orange drain unblocker- the list is endless. Any potentially poisonous products must be stored appropriately if there are children in the house (or are we going to ban them all?).
Also if you look at the electronic cigarette websites in the UK you will see the OVER 18 ONLY and NICOTINE is ADDICTIVE banners on all their front/home pages. And they are well regulated by current consumer legislation.


Many vapers, including myself are stockpiling nicotine base in the freezer (which has an almost indefinite shelf life if stored correctly) and polls on the forums have shown that vapers will source their products from outside the EU if necessary, rather than return to smoking. In a recent poll on POTV over 70% said they would be prepared to obtain their e-liquid illegally or from questionable sources, rather that return to smoking. Another 10% said they would return to cigarettes.


i am sure you will receive many e-mails on the subject and I understand that you must sift through all the evidence but, please, the majority of vapers have got back their health and their life and we feel so strongly that the choice we have made (and ultimately a healthier life) should remain available to us.


Once again, thank you for taking the time to ask for and read this e-mail,


Best regards

Best 'ramble' I've seen in a while. Well done!