The Lords discussion on e-cigs

[kibbster]

Forgive me for being a bit behind the times, life has been busy and I've only just got round to starting to watch yesterday's VTTalk with Clive Bates.
I'm currently watching the Parliament footage from earlier this week where they are discussing e-cigs and the directive.
My views so far.

The first woman that's on there - I see her as the enemy.
She seems all up for regulating e-cigs as they are NCP and they are used for smokers wanting to give up Nicotine.
Someone needs to tell her about the difference between NRT and NCP and not just the fact they use different letters.
Most of us as we well know are not using e-cigs to stop nicotine, that's what NRT is for and it's pretty fail at that too.
She doesn't seem to understand the concept of "recreational nicotine use" and thinks that all e-cig users are cutting down on nicotine not tobacco.
God there's still some educating to be done, some still don't "get it"!

The second bloke on there in comparison seems almost normal.
He's pointed out that nicotine isn't the big evil, smoke is.
He's also said that health warnings on NCP products are counter productive as Nicotine doesn't cause the harm so why give it a health warning.

The witch sorry enemy sorry that woman has interupted him to say she's heard some of these e-cigs are flavoured like bubblegum (seriously.. her exact words!) if these are for giving up smoking why make them bubblegum flavour.
I really must introduce her to my egg custard tart, she'll s**t a brick! 
Still, by all means, ban bubblegum flavour if it makes you happy - obviously she's got something against bubblegum.

More as I watch more (after I've picked my jaw back up off the floor)

[kibbster]

It gets better... that's where she was leading.
Apparently children like bubblegum flavour ergo e-cigs encourage kids to smoke and after "smoking" bubblegum flavour you'll likely go on to smoking real cigarettes!
Obviously going from something that tastes of bubblegum to something that tastes and smells like rancid sweaty socks that have been set alight is a real aspiration!

[kibbster]

Normal bloke again.
MHRA are looking into thresholds of nicotine and they will wait for their report.

Whatever the feck Thresholds of nicotine means?

Ok another bloke said that a Doctor told him that the proposed limit on nic will render it useless for smokers and they will go back to fags.
(At least he "get's it)
The enemy replies with something useful then descends into rhetoric again. That there is talk that smokers can choose their own Nicotene level in e-cigs - corrrect.
Smokers can therefore adjust their giving up smoking plan to fit in with how they want to give up in a way that suits them - my head just banged into my desk again.

[Sandra (aka Chillax)]

Yes I watched this today, keeping everything crossed, liked the Doctors letter, lets hope the pressure will sway things for us, but everyone needs to keep emailing our MP's and MEP's.

[kibbster]

Ah ha!
All becomes clear, I know the enemies motivations!
She is an ex-smoker who gave up by cutting down, so if others want to do the same with e-cigs she understands.

[kibbster]

Mar 14, 2013 20:41:18 GMT Sandra (aka Chillax) said:

Yes I watched this today, keeping everything crossed, liked the Doctors letter, lets hope the pressure will sway things for us, but everyone needs to keep emailing our MP's and MEP's.

hahah
Just seen that bit, that doctors letter that could so easily have been written by one of us (in fact he is a vaper form what I can gather) has just thrown a spanner in her rhetoric! 
The vaping doctor has said that e-cigs could well be 95-99% safer than smoking.
She'll get some more info and they'll all consider his polite and well written letter before they reply.

[kibbster]

And that's it.
Blow by blow and the whole atmosphere changed by a letter (that they all seemed surprised and delighted to have got) from a Doctor who said e-cigs are safer if not 100% safe.
The clip ended with all agreeing that there's no doubt that e-cigs are safer than smoking - that's obvious.

So good and bad.
Bad - there's still a lot of misconceptions in the woman who's runing the show where the directive and the UKs response to it is concerned.
Bad - She still think's nicotine cessation is the end goal of e-cigs therefore they are NRT and need to be classed as medicenes.
Good - They are listening to people.
Good - A simple doctors letter saying that e-cigs are much safer than smoking has made them pause and all start scratching their chins in thought.

You know what to do
Get those letters in, they seem to work

[robby]

"Someone needs to tell her about the difference between NRT and NCP"





NCP is a Car Park isnt it?

[kibbster]

Mar 14, 2013 20:59:54 GMT robby said:

"Someone needs to tell her about the difference between NRT and NCP"





NCP is a Car Park isnt it?

lol that's one difference

[Hampton]

There's some interesting reading here tinyurl.com/ykjbrnc

The response fron ASH made me smile.

[hgvroy]

Someone needs to tell her that one of the leading licenced NRT products is bubblegum

[MarkS]

Mar 14, 2013 20:53:40 GMT kibbster said:

Mar 14, 2013 20:41:18 GMT Sandra (aka Chillax) said:

Yes I watched this today, keeping everything crossed, liked the Doctors letter, lets hope the pressure will sway things for us, but everyone needs to keep emailing our MP's and MEP's.

hahah
Just seen that bit, that doctors letter that could so easily have been written by one of us (in fact he is a vaper form what I can gather) has just thrown a spanner in her rhetoric! 
The vaping doctor has said that e-cigs could well be 95-99% safer than smoking.
She'll get some more info and they'll all consider his polite and well written letter before they reply.

Hope he is in her constituency as I emailed her pointing out the flaws in her arguements and got the standard reply of I need to raise it with my own MP as I wasn't a constituent of hers.
I replied telling her I have already contacted my MP, but it wasn't my MP addressing the House Of Lords.

[kibbster]

I'm going to be sending stage 2 letters to all my MEPs (that have also ignored my first letter) this weekend.

[Jockyspants]

Nice blow by blow account of Parliamentary proceedings Kibbster... The chin scratching is a show of concern for the reduction in needed TAX these dough balls fritter away each year on limo's to Champagne fuelled meetings.