Tag Archives: vaping

Congressional Oversight Committee wants to hear from YOU!

Posted by slickplaid on March 18, 2011 None comments

Darrell Issa (Congressman from California’s 49th District) wants to hear from electronic cigarette users about how the FDA wastes taxpayer money on litigation.

From @TreeceVapes:

TreeceVapes Congressional Oversight Committee head Darrell Issa wants to hear from us. Tweet @DarrellIssa about FDA & e-cigarettes!

Take this opportunity to give the government the news on how the FDA has been treating e-cigarette users!

From @DarrellIssa:

DarrellIssa What do you want from your government? @ msg me with your answer, and I appreciate an RT so we can hear as many views as possible. Thank you

Darrell Issa was appointed head of the Congressional Oversight Committee last year. Here is a description of what the committee is from their website:

Congressman Darrell Issa

Darrell Issa - Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has legislative jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, the government procurement process, federal personnel systems, the Postal Service and other matters. Our primary responsibility, however, is oversight of virtually everything government does – from national security to homeland security grants, from federal workforce policies to regulatory reform and reorganization authority, from information technology procurements at individual agencies to government-wide data security standards.As the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, we will work with our colleagues in the minority to exercise effective oversight over the federal government and will work proactively to investigate and expose waste, fraud, and abuse.

As the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, we will work with our colleagues in the minority to exercise effective oversight over the federal government and will work proactively to investigate and expose waste, fraud, and abuse.”

More from @TreeceVapes:

Not long after Issa’s appointment, he announced what was essentially his “hit list” of government organizations, and the FDA was on it. Not long after that, Josh Sharfstein resigned as FDA Deputy Commissioner, and there’s been some speculation that his resignation was a direct response to Issa’s appointment (i.e., perhaps a sign that Sharfstein feared Issa).

Here is a sample tweet that @TreeceVapes did to the congressman:

@DarrellIssa FDA wastes taxpayer money on litigation (despite losing 2X) and misinformation campaign about e-cigarettes. Please help us!

This is a perfect opportunity to let the government know how we feel and to stop being bullied. Tweet DarrellIssa and let your voice be heard!

Join our discussion at International Vapers Club.

Celebrating My Two-Year Anniversary of being Smoke-Free

Posted by JustJulie on February 2, 2011 2 comments

I can’t believe it’s been two years since I switched to vaping instead of smoking.

Even two years into this, I’m still amazed and so terribly, terribly grateful.  For those who, like me, had tried everything to quit–but never with any long-term success–you no doubt understand what a miracle these devices are.  Truth be told, after countless attempts to quit smoking, I finally gave up and resigned myself to the certain knowledge that I could not quit.  In fact, when I decided to buy an e-cigarette, I wasn’t trying to quit smoking.  Rather, I was trying to reduce the number of cigarettes that I was smoking since I was well over 2 packs a day.

Within days of picking up my first e-cigarette, I was done with smoking.  And what’s really shocking is that I don’t want a cigarette.  Believe it or not, I actually prefer vaping to smoking.

My lung capacity has improved–I can take long, deep breaths with no pain and no coughing.  I can RUN up the stairs instead of slowly making my way up, only to have to stop halfway up to catch my breath.  Because I have more lung capacity, I’ve been able to exercise longer.  Now when I stop exercising, it’s because I’m tired . . . not because I can’t breathe.

Because my sense of taste has returned, I find that I’m using less salt in my foods.  I think I used to over-salt my foods because I couldn’t taste subtle flavors.  Along with my sense of taste, my sense of smell returned.

There are so many things I love about vaping, but I think it can mostly be summed up in a very simple statement:   I feel as if I’ve been given a new lease on life, and the quality of my life has been immeasurably improved.

It’s almost impossible for me to believe that there are people out there who want to take e-cigarettes off the market to conduct expensive and time-consuming testing to determine their efficacy as smoking cessation aids.  And if they do come back on the market some day, you can be assured that the nicotine levels will be reduced to ridiculously low levels and the flavors we love will be gone . . . and the end result would be that the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA will ensure that e-cigarettes will be about as successful as the crap pharmaceutical NRTs currently on the market.

Have they not figured out that people are using these as an ALTERNATIVE to smoking–and a life-saving one at that?  And what’s even more horrifying is that those who are pushing to remove e-cigarettes from the market are the people who are supposed to care about our health–the FDA, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, Tobacco-Free Kids, and the American Medical Association to name just a few.  They are out there AGGRESSIVELY trying to pass legislation to ban e-cigarettes, all the while spreading lies and misinformation.

Two years of being smoke-free is a momentous occasion for me.  To celebrate, I’m making a pledge.

First, I pledge to support CASAA with my time, my energy, and my passion, because I believe that CASAA is working hard to ensure that e-cigarettes remain a legal and accessible alternative to smoking–not only by fighting bans, but by providing accurate and truthful information to the public, to health care professionals, and to legislators.

Second, I’m going to support CASAA with my pocketbook, because I know that even though it’s a volunteer organization, there are costs for copying, postage, web hosting, travel, etc.  So, every month of 2011, I’m going to donate $25.  (A drop in the bucket, I know, but lots of little drops will fill the bucket!)

And third, I’m going ramp up my own efforts to provide accurate information to smokers who might want to switch to vaping–not to “convert” anybody, but to try to ensure everyone has all the information necessary to make an informed decision. For the smokers who want to try vaping, I’ll do what I can to support and encourage them in making the switch.

FDA Request to Appeal Rejected By U.S. Court of Appeals

Posted by slickplaid on January 24, 2011 None comments

Electronic cigarette users everywhere are rejoicing today following the ruling by the United States Court of Appeals that the FDA‘s request for a rehearing was denied. The entire court unanimously declined the FDA‘s rehearing request. This is a giant step towards e-cigarettes being regulated like traditional tobacco products. Consumers view this as an alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes rather than as pharmaceutical smoking cessation devices. The FDA claimed that an electronic cigarette was basically just another tool to quit smoking, much like the nicotine gum, lozenges, and sprays that are available now, marketed as smoking cessation devices, but the ruling denied them the ability to regulate electronic cigarettes as such.

Electronic cigarettes are made up of three parts: the battery, the atomizer, and the nicotine liquid that, when heated, creates a fine water-vapor based mist. The mist allows users to get a small dose of nicotine and flavoring. Basically, a high tech version of a traditional cigarette, only without the combustion of plant material. This means no burning, no tar, and the vapor dissipates rapidly leaving only a light scent in the air. Users are able to pick from varying levels of nicotine strengths, even all the way down to zero nicotine, and flavors. Due to the fact that there is no combustion of plant material, the user doesn’t get the large amounts of combustion related carcinogens present in traditional tobacco products. In short, it’s a smart alternative to traditional tobacco products.

The FDA is currently “considering it’s legal and regulatory options” to pursue the case further. The next steps would be to bring it to the United States Supreme Court, but since the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected it unanimously, it is unlikely that it would be granted. Regardless of the likelihood, the FDA still has the option to pursue and push the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court also refused the FDA‘s motion to keep intercepting product shipments from China.

So what does this mean for the average vaper? We’re still unclear if the FDA will continue to stop shipments to other vendors from China, but it is likely that as long as the vendor doesn’t make claims that the devices are marketed as smoking cessation devices the shipments should be allowed. It will be a long road to finally be accepted as a smoking alternative, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

Join us in our discussion of the ruling here:
http://www.internationalvapersclub.com/law/fda-request-to-appeal-rejected-t1334.html

Court documents can be downloaded here:
Court Appeals rejects rehearing, pg. 1
Court Appeals rejects rehearing, pg. 2

Via: WSJ

“Smoke-Free” Campuses v. Common Sense Safety

Posted by mama on January 23, 2011 None comments

A few days ago I read an article from a state college in Florida that made all of its campuses “smoke-free,” which includes the use of electronic cigarettes. This gave me pause for a moment as I thought about my local school campuses and local hospitals.

North Carolina enacted smoking bans (not including electronic cigarettes, thank goodness) in public places (workplaces, schools, restaurants, bars, etc.) back in January 2010.  Living between the local hospitals and next door to the community college, we notice that there are throngs of people standing right next to busy roadways smoking.  In the case locally, it is a six-lane roadway, which is one of the busiest roads in our small town.  How can this be safe?  So what I walk away with is this – if you smoke, we don’t really care about you!  If a rogue car takes you out, then so be it.  You smoke, therefore you are not worthy of ANY protections.

Is it too much to ask for these campuses to set aside a very small piece of real estate so that those who CHOOSE to smoke can do so safely?  I am not suggesting a smoking area that is right next to the front door, but possibly one that is located away from the “campus” but that is still part of the campus.  Seems this would be a fair compromise, as it would keep non-smokers away from unnecessary smoke but would also keep the smokers safe from harm.

It is not as if tobacco or nicotine is illegal, yet smokers are treated like criminals or second-class citizens. In Florida, you can’t even use an electronic cigarette–which produces a smokeless vapor that has little to no smell–on a school campus?  It is dumbfounding to think that the “antis” are so anti that they won’t even consider the possibility of electronic cigarette use.  It seems that fear does indeed breed ignorance.

New York Bill to Ban E-Cigarette Sales – Call to Action

Posted by slickplaid on January 22, 2011 None comments

The New York State Assembly Health Committee has A01468 on its meeting agenda for this coming Tuesday, 1/25, at 12 noon. If the bill is favorably reported out of committee, it will then go to the full Assembly for a vote – where the identical bill passed unanimously last year! It did not become law only because the Senate version never got out of the Senate Health Committee last year.

Here is the bill memo and text: Bills

It is Section 2 (starting at line 37) that purports to ban all sales (unless and until approved by the FDA as a cessation product), while Section 1 only bans sales to minors, etc.

While we probably have a better chance of stopping this in the NYS Senate, we still need to try and stop it at the Assembly level.

We would normally be asking for snail mail, because that would seem to be more effective than emails, due to the shortness of notice for Tuesday, we are asking members to send either emails or better yet faxes, and even more importantly, to please find some time on Monday and/or Tuesday morning to make phone calls, if not to all of the committee members, then at least to the Chair and one or two others.
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