EU Proposes Effective Ban on E-Cigarette Cartridges/Eliquid

[AnnaLaw]

Forgot to flog this petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/fr33dom/petition.html the one done by Doodlebug for ECITA, nearly 19k in sigs... I know we can get that higher!

It's not working. I tried to sign but the form didn't go through so tried in a different browser, got a message that the site was down and they were fixing the problem.

 

[EthelKing]

I've had my first reply:

Thank you for your email. As you may be aware the Tobacco directive is currently under renewal.The directive will be coming before the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee at the European Parliament for consideration in 2013. At this stage the proposals by the European Commission include regulating packaging and the composition of cigarettes and related products including electronic cigarettes.

My personal opinion is that I recognise that there are health implications to smoking and believe that there should be public awareness but once informed, there should also be freedom of choice.

That said this freedom should not impinge on the freedom of others so a programmatic solution must be found. Smoking has health implications for smokers but science has proved that there are also implications for passive smokers as well. Advertising and the presentation of smoking atpresent needs to be looked at and I believe that this directive will do just that.

More than ten years have passed since the adoption of the current directive on the issue, during which time various developments have occurred. In response to this, I look forward to making concrete contributions towards the proposed directive when the time arrives.

With reference to your specific comments on electric cigarettes the directive will look at this aspect, and I myself would be very interested in the scientific background that specifically relates to the health effects before making any judgements.

Kind regards,

Marina Yannakoudakis MEP

My Reply...

Dear Mrs Yannakoudakis,

Thank you for your reply, which I read with great interest.

Whilst I agree entirely with your opinions regarding passive smoking, I am a little concerned that you may be comparing exhaled electronic cigarette vapour directly with exhaled cigarette smoke on a like-for-like basis, when there is little evidence to suggest that e-cigarette use results in second hand "vaping" - as is illustrated in the conclusions of this study extract, for example.

I believe that the proposed EU Tobacco Directive changes will effectively create a black market for supplies - and will potentially encourage "vapers" to source "grey" nicotine supplies in the form of herbicides etc. - the harm potential of doing so being significant, which at the present time it isn't as all UK supplies of nicotine are pharmaceutical grade. Most importantly it will deny individuals who choose to "vape" the one viable alternative they have at present to switch to a healthier alternative to smoking - often after repeated cycles and failures of prescribed nicotine replacement therapy. My personal rate of success following NRT is zero with fifteen years of trying to stop smoking - but switched to vaping overnight, and the effects to my personal health have been remarkable.

I feel that this quote (from Lionel Shriver, taken from the Guardian article linked below), whilst strong, sums up my feelings on this matter rather well:

"What's truly evil is attempting to deny people addicted to a profoundly damaging substance the opportunity to transfer that addiction to a product most medical professionals rate as 99% harmless. The gathering European opposition to electronic cigarettes is the result of knee-jerk cultural prejudice, puritanical vindictiveness, corporate collusion, and the unconscionable greed of tax authorities that won't be able to heap the same punitive, confiscatory, opportunistic duties on a product that doesn't hurt anyone."

A basic internet search will provide links to scientific papers and studies regarding the safety and efficacy of "e-cigarette" use in comparison to traditional tobacco products. The work of Dr. Michael Siegel, Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health may be of particular interest. He has 25 years of experience in the field of tobacco control and previously spent two years working at the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC, where he conducted research on secondhand smoke and cigarette advertising. He has published nearly 70 papers related to tobacco and testified in the landmark Engle lawsuit against the tobacco companies, which resulted in an unprecedented $145 billion verdict against the industry. He teaches social and behavioral sciences, mass communication and public health, and public health advocacy in the Masters of Public Health program. Dr Siegel is a keen proponent of "e-cigarette" use as a tobacco harm reduction measure.

I also include the following links to articles which may also be of interest to you.
European Respiratory Society - "Electronic Cigarettes Do Not Damage The Heart".
Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECITA) -
"French Study Shows Significant Health Improvements For Smokers Using Electronic Cigarettes"
The Guardian - "No Smoke Without Ire"
TIME - Business & Money - "Can electronic Cigarettes Challenge Big Tobacco"

Thank you once again for your reply, and I trust that my views as a constituent and my current personal freedom of choice between smoking and "vaping" will also be taken into account during your "pre-judgement" considerations.

Yours sincerely,

Etc...

As a post script - I would be delighted to meet with yourself and any other interested parties to discuss and demonstrate vaping if you feel this would be beneficial.

 

[Mark]

Great letter Lee!

 

[Bryan123456]

It's not working. I tried to sign but the form didn't go through so tried in a different browser, got a message that the site was down and they were fixing the problem.

Ditto. I have tried several times on different browsers and it stalls when one clicks the 'sign' button.

 

[Doodlebug]

Hi, all,

I actually met with Marina Yannakoudakis a couple of years back, to discuss e-cigs. She didn't seem particularly friendly, and I fear sits in the 'anti-Tobacco' camp, rather than the 'pro health' camp! Your letter is excellent, and she is on my list to send our open letter (when I eventually get the bugger finished!) so hopefully, all these MEPs can refocus on what really matters, and hopefully really make a difference.

As for the petition, I have been trying for MONTHS to get it fixed! I have contacted them again tonight, and will keep pushing to get it sorted, but I am at the mercy of whoever runs that site.

Anyhoo, thanks and I'll keep you all posted...

Cheers,

Katherine

 

[AnnaLaw]

I wish it were possible to transfer the petition with all the signatures to another site, but know that can't be done.

Catherine Bearder, MEP for the SE seems to be one of the 'anti-tobacco, not public health' MEPS but her reply made it difficult to tell as most of it was just throwing the main points of all of the Directive at me.
She did say that in future I could get my eliquid as a medicine, that it needed regulating, that the WHO said it was more toxic, addictive etc than tobacco, and quoted the Athens discredited 'lung damage' study. She said she'd vote but not which way, asked me to send her studies as 'hardly any have been done' but hasn't acknowledged the ones I sent her links to.

 

[Embraced_Freak]

If they do decide to ban e cigs, when will this happen?

 

[KulrMeStoopid]

If they do decide to ban e cigs, when will this happen?

I doubt it could go into effect immediately, possibly a year or two for revisions?

 

[Embraced_Freak]

Thanks for reply. I'm just really annoyed about hearing about this. I've only vaped since beginning of November and the thought of not being allowed to continue doing this because of "the big ppl" has decided so without educating themselves makes me mad! Switching from regular cigarettes to vaping is by far one of the best things I've done to my health.

 

[AnnaLaw]

I've had two MEP replies and one from my MP. MP just says he'll talk to Jeremy Hunt, Lib-Dem MEP seems to know nothing and suggests I can vape on prescription, but I posted this letter in another thread and think it worth repeating, from a Conservative MEP.

Thank you contacting me with your concerns with the EU Tobacco Directive. I sympathise with your point that vaporises have helped you to substantially cut down on smoking, indeed, a number of my constituents have attested to their effectiveness

Please find below the response of the Martin Callanan, Conservative Spokesman for matters relating to the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety:

"You are not alone in contacting me on this issue - many constituents feel similarly strongly. I have examined the arguments and I see the potential e-cigarettes offer as harm-reduction devices to improve human health. I am particularly convinced by the fact that e-cigarettes offer concentrated nicotine to addicts without the 4000 toxins and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, that use of e-cigarettes removes the risk posed to non-smokers (and especially to children of smokers) by second hand smoke, that e-cigarettes appeal to adult smokers seeking to quit but not generally to children or those not yet addicted to nicotine, that traditional nicotine replacement therapies proposed by the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry have had very limited success in helping smokers quit permanently, and that thousands of British e-cigarette users (and millions across the EU and the world) are likely return to smoking if the directive is amended as foreseen and nicotine concentrations are limited to 4mg/ml. I have no doubt that this will lead to a large percentage of such users dying of smoking-related diseases they might otherwise have avoided, with all the personal and societal consequences this would mean. Such arguments have led me to conclude that the proposed changes to limit permitted concentrations of nicotine solution sold in the EU are counter-productive and will do much more harm than good.

Changes to EU tobacco legislation have been expected for some time but were delayed by the recent resignation of the previous European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, John Dalli. His replacement, Tonio Borg, has expressed a desire to change the law before his mandate expires in June 2014. To prevent the proposed changes concerning e-cigarettes and all the negative consequences that would arise, we must work hard in the year ahead to build solid majorities in both the Parliament and the Council.

As a member of the Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety I will do everything in my power to make the arguments and convince other MEPs of the foolishness of diluting nicotine solution to the point of uselessness.

I would also encourage you to raise awareness among others in the vapourizing community. The internet offers considerable opportunities to draw the attention of a wide audience to the issue and to contact your elected representatives quickly and easily. If you have not already done so I would encourage you to write to your MP and request him to raise the matter in Westminster, and persuade other e-cigarette users to do the same. If we bring to the attention of the public, the political world and the media the strong arguments in favour of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction device and the number of lives which can be saved through their use, we have a very strong chance of winning the argument."

I hope you find this response useful, if you have any queries or concerns on any other matter please do not hesitate to get in touch, I shall be happy to help.