The `Open Letter` to the Health Secretary

[nick0dean]

I have just read a document which is, supposedly, an appeal to the U.K. Health Secretary regarding the potential ban of electronic `cigarettes`in the United Kingdom. No doubt many other Forum Members will also have seen this.

I`m afraid that, in this case, an over-enthusiastic & commercially-involved person , by the presentation of a badly-written (almost incomprehensible!) document, has almost certainly severely damaged the chances of the proposed ban on electronic nicotine-delivery systems (e-cigs) being overturned!.

Rather than mention that our favoured alternative to smoking tobacco contains only pharmeceutical nicotine + a glycerine compound (which is often found in eye-drops & stage `smoke` machines).....he has launched into a full-scale request for tobacco-containing products to be totally-banned & completely omits to emphasise the fact that e-cigs do not contain ANY tobacco-derived substances .....any more than aspirin is no longer produced from willow leaves!.
Pure pharmeceutical nicotine is currently freely available (without prescription) to the general public, in the form of anti-smoking skin-patches, nicotine chewing gum , lozenges, inhalers etc. & I can see absolutely no reason why e-cigs & the substances contained therein, should be treated any differently.

I did not, from a brief reading of the `appeal/advertisement`, pick-up on the fact that there is no combustion at AT ALL of the (benign) materials contained within an electronic `cigarette`, or that the vapour emitted by the user of such devices contains only steam & a small amount of harmless, odourless, non staining & non-carcinogenic clear glycerine.....the nicotine content being totally absorbed on contact with the moisture within the user`s mouth!.

Unless we can clearly get these crucial facts across to `the powers that be`, then I`m very much afraid that our case will be lost forever.

If the Health Secretary were soley to read the above-mentioned appeal, he would be absolutely none the wiser as to the definite & positive advantages of our new-found alternative to smoking.

Somehow, it would be helpful for us to get across the , very valid, point that electronic cigarettes were developed in China, to benefit almost 2 billion tobacco-smokers in that country....which has NO National Health Service to alleviate the damage to public health caused by tobacco consumption!.

Nick.

[lolli]

OMG Nick - that is VERY worrying - which document do you mean ? ???

[nick0dean]

Maybe Foxy can post a link.....I`m afraid I deleted everything in disgust!!

Nick.

[foxy9212]

Hmm! HERE

The original open-letter was emailed to TW customers in the form of a jpeg therefore I can't post it here and I'm not sure I should - copyright etc.

One point that perhaps IS relevant, nicotine as used in e-liquid is distilled from the tobacco leaf and although nicotine is commonly found in a number of fruits and vegetables, in this case it could be described as a tobacco by-product.

I believe that the open-letter is an attempt to show the Minister that if all nicotine products are to be re-designated, tobacco products such as cigarettes should also be included in any new legislation.

It's perfectly obvious to anyone with a working brain cell that the new regulations are a thinly veiled attempt to rid the UK of a legitimate alternative to smoking tobacco.

When there is a legitimate point to be made, it would be best if it were done by those without commercial interests but, from recent experience, many people make a good deal of noise but take little action. At least in this particular case, someone is trying to get the powers that be to sit up and take notice. It's in all our interests to add our comments to all blogs and articles on the subject otherwise the 'vapers' in this country will simply be regarded as an apathetic bunch whose opinions matter little.

I'm no conspiracy theorist but it does seem that with regard to 'vaping' there certainly seems to be a concerted effort on the part of some to make sure that educated information is suppressed.

Fox

[lolli]

Ah - see what you mean Foxy :-)

BIG publicity - including informed opinions - is what is needed surely - there must be a way to get it. What can we DOOOOO?

[foxy9212]

Jason's letter/advertisement was turned down by "all mainstream publications" so there really does seem a lack of interest in the e-cigarette debate - what debate there is!

I think most of us here have done all we can. We've filled in the MHRA Consultation Period form and, hopefully, followed up with a hard copy of our comments, signed up to all the available petitions, posted our 'testimonials' on all the vendors' websites that ask for them etc., etc., so there's little more that can be done.

To date it seems fewer than 4,000 people have made an active attempt to make their feelings known and that's not nearly enough; we need millions not a few thousand for a Government of any colour to think twice about banning our product of choice.

People are still posting happily on commercial forums asking about new products, not seeming to realize that there will be no commercial vendors after June 21st - time to remove the blinkers methinks!

Fox

[Scylla]

Oh dear. I don't know what to think or say - except I'd better shut up unless I can do better :-[

scylla

[Chrissie]

Nicko, as Foxy says, Jason is trying to show how crazy it is that e-cigs may be banned but real cigarettes not. The MHRA want to classify e-cigs as a medicine & if that happens then the ban will go ahead. I do agree it could have been better written though (though certainly not by me ).

[nick0dean]

Cheers for your responses!

I guess everyone will just have to stock-up on atomisers, batteries & e-liquids before June!

I`m thinking pharmeceutical nicotine should still be available....maybe even from a friendly chemist/pharmacy....although it would probably be necessary to sign the Poisons Book!.
The (vegetable) glycerine & food-flavourings can, of course be bought at most supermarkets & groceries (certainly mint, vanilla, oil-of-cloves etc.).

Nick.

[foxy9212]

Jason made some interesting and valid points in his video clip on the site; I wonder whether the requested documents will be produced and if not, it'll be interested to learn any excuses that may be forthcoming.

I feel very strongly that if the e-cigarette lobby was as great as that of the tobacco/pharmaceutical industry, there would be no question of a ban being imposed. Jason is right; the entire proposal is seriously flawed.

I also believe that if the e-cigarette had been invented and marketed by a pharmaceutical company with no 'interest' at all in the tobacco industry, the smoking of tobacco would be on its way out by now! The e-cigarette is THAT good!

Fox

[nick0dean]

I have just finished emailling my M.P. (Andrew Lansley) about the proposed ban!

Anyone wishing to do the same can get their Member`s name & send an email by entering their postcode here :-

findyourmp.parliament.uk/

There is so much factual info. on the forums, that it is quite easy to cobble-up a decent email, by copying/pasting & editing....without being a literary genius!

Nick.

This was the text of my email (with acknowlegement to Foxy for some of the content!).


Dear Mr Andrew Lansley,

As you are no doubt aware, there is a proposal to ban the importation & sale in the U.K. of Electronic Nicotine Inhalators
(commonly known as `Electronic Cigarettes`).

In my opinion, such a proposal requires a full public debate, which allows the users of these devices to have a full say & where fully-informed medical opinion can be sought & taken into consideration, before such a ban is considered.

I understand Petitions to the above effect are currently being prepared & trust that due consideration will be given to these.

Appended below, please find some information on these products, which may be of interest to yourself.

Information Concerning Electronic Nicotine Inhalators.

An 'e-cigarette' is an electronic device that vaporizes a mixture of liquid nicotine (as used in the Nicorette Inhalator), Glycerine (either propylene as used in smoke machines, or vegetable glycerine used in cookery mainly but also in soaps, toothpaste, mouthwash, cosmetic creams and as a delivery system for medication - (essentially it's an humectant) and food grade flavouring.

The e-cigarette/personal vaporizer/electronic nicotine inhalator, consists generally of three elements; a battery, an atomizer and a cartridge containing the liquid. Drawing on the mouthpiece activates a switch in the (automatic) battery that, in turn, activates the atomizer thus producing a vapour rather like that which one sees when breathing on a frosty day, or is produced by smoke machines at concerts, stage shows etc. To date this vapour has not been found to be harmful either to the user or by-standers - unlike the smoke produced by a tobacco cigarette.

The liquid used in e-cigarettes contains no noxious substances and NOTHING is lit or burned. Nicotine in its raw form is, of course, poisonous but that used in the device is highly diluted and is likely no more dangerous (in fact a good deal less so) than household cleaning products such as bleach or caustic drain cleaners.

The e-cigarette is not a 'cheap' option as the hardware needs replacing regularly but from my experience is less than half the cost of cigarettes.

Also from personal experience, the e-cigarette is much less likely to cause a nicotine overdose than smokers such as I who used patches etc., and smoked as well! Not something I'm proud of but that was just one more reason for stopping NRT. I needed to see and feel the smoke or, in the case of the e-cigarette, the vapour. The only difference between the electronic cigarette or EN-I is the atomizer that produces vapour. The NRT device releases a nicotine 'hit' each time the user sucks on the mouthpiece. That is where the comparison ends for me - the NRT inhalator tastes revolting and I was using it constantly during the day, changing cartridge after cartridge and still gaining no satisfaction.

I cannot understand why in the two years or so that the e-cigarette has been available in the UK, there have been no tests done that compare the smoke from a tobacco product with the vapour from an e-cigarette - the results would be interesting! Why do cigarette manufacturers not have to list the ingredients in their product or supply them in kiddy-proof containers. I've read that there is enough nicotine in one packet of twenty cigarettes to kill two adults if ingested in raw form.

Obviously the NHS aren't in a position to recommend a product that seems so disliked by those in power - my own GP however, would like to be able to do so.

Nicotine itself does not cause cancer; it is a combination of the (approximately 4,000) noxious substances in burning tobacco that is a major contributor to that.
`Electronic cigarettes` were developed in China, to eliminate these & thus benefit almost 2 billion tobacco-smokers in that country....which has NO National Health Service to alleviate the damage to public health caused by tobacco consumption!.

Yours sincerely,

[Chrissie]

Mar 13, 2010 12:57:07 GMT @foxy9212 said:

I feel very strongly that if the e-cigarette lobby was as great as that of the tobacco/pharmaceutical industry, there would be no question of a ban being imposed. Jason is right; the entire proposal is seriously flawed.

I also believe that if the e-cigarette had been invented and marketed by a pharmaceutical company with no 'interest' at all in the tobacco industry, the smoking of tobacco would be on its way out by now! The e-cigarette is THAT good!

Fox

Completely agree with you there Foxy.

Well done Nick & thanks for posting the link so that people can find their local MP's details easily.