Linda McAvan, the Angel of Death

[markm]

It was interesting to see how rabbit in the headlights she is looking these days.
She is saying the same words as she has for months, but looking less convinced
Herself by the minute. And to keep telling those lies about the intentions of the MHRA
When Marco has already explained the reality to her on camera, just leads me to
Conclude her actions are not misguided but paid for!

[Greigster]

And my third reply from my MEP`s.

Dear greigster

Thank you for contacting Andrew about developments relating to electronic cigarettes. This is a matter he has been following closely for some time.

There are two aspects to the current situation.

The first is the UK MHRA's recent announcement that it plans to classify e-cigarettes as a medicine. Andrew does not have a problem with e-cigarettes being regulated like any other product, to ensure that they are safe to use. However, he has serious reservations about them being regulated as medicines, as this would potentially create a situation where consumers could buy cigarettes, which contain compounds that cause cancer, in supermarkets, but could only buy e-cigarettes, which are part of the solution, in a pharmacy - which would be a very perverse state of affairs.

As an MEP, however, Andrew's main involvement is in the European Parliament, where he is more directly able to influence the outcome of the Tobacco Products Directive. Andrew has recently been in touch with our rapporteur on this paper, Ms Frederique Ries, as well as a number of other MEPs on the ENVI committee, including Chris Davies. Andrew has made the case to them that the proposed restrictions on E-cigarettes were not fully thought through and would ultimately be harmful to public health.

The Liberal group subsequently co-signed a series of amendments to the Tobacco Products Directive which are quite comprehensive in terms of kicking into touch any plans to restrict the availability or strength of this new technology. Unfortunately these proposals did not win the support of the ENVI committee - I gather that the European Grouping of Socialists & Democrats were instrumental in getting the "regulation as medicine" amendment passed.

This is unfortunate and misguided. The Liberal amendments followed from the recognition that although E-cigarettes provide users with a nicotine boost similar to conventional cigarettes, they contain no tobacco, which is the cause of smoking-related disease and premature death. Andrew's view is therefore that restricting the strength of E-cigarettes would undermine their value as a means of weaning hardened smokers off tobacco, which would have a harmful effect on the health of many people and cost the NHS millions of pounds in extra costs incurred.

However, the legislative process is not yet concluded. Andrew will have the opportunity to vote on the proposals when they eventually reach the plenary session of the European Parliament. He expects that the Liberals will table their amendments again at this session, and in the meantime will seek to build support for them.

Thank you once again for contacting Andrew about this matter. I hope this reply is helpful. Please be in touch if you have any further questions.

Yours sincerely,

Kilian Bourke


Caseworker to
Andrew Duff
Liberal Democrat MEP for the East of England

[chykensa]

Here's the only response I have received so far - fair enough, I think.

Dear Mr Bilham

Thank you for your email of 5th September.

Please bear with us while your communication reaches the top of the
correspondence file and in case any research is necessary before Mr
Chichester replies.

Yours sincerely

Netia Carr

Netia Carr (Mrs)
Secretary to Giles Chichester MEP

[Bluefish]

I have only one reply so far,


Thank you for your recent e-mail about e-cigarettes.

In common with all my Labour colleagues including my fellow North West MEP
Arlene McCarthy, to whom you have also written on this matter, I have
received many letters and e-mails from constituents over the last few
months, telling me how e-cigarettes have helped them to quit smoking and how
concerned they are that EU proposals to regulate these products could result
in an effective ban. The first point I would like to stress is that there
has been a lot of misinformation circulating about a possible ban on
e-cigarettes. Can I assure you from the outset that no-one wants to ban
e-cigarettes.

My colleague Linda McAvan is the MEP leading this draft legislation through
the European Parliament, and she has taken evidence from e-cigarette
companies, as well as from users, regulators and doctors. Linda sees
e-cigarettes as a promising development in smoking cessation and she has
spoken to many doctors, who specialise in tobacco related illnesses and who
have been recommending them to their patients.

For its part, the UK government has been looking at this issue for several
years and has recently concluded that e-cigarettes should be regulated in
the same way as nicotine gums and patches, in other words under light-touch
medicines legislation. In a recent vote in the European Parliament's Health
Committee, a majority of MEPs agreed with this approach.

Linda takes the view that the 'medicines' label would change very little in
terms of the availability of e-cigarettes in the UK. Over-the-counter
products like paracetamol are already widely sold in supermarkets, corner
shops and garages, as well as in pharmacies. Due to the fact that nicotine
is already a well-known substance, e-cigarettes would not be required to
undertake costly clinical trials, which may have pushed up prices. Moreover,
there could even be some advantages in terms of a lower rate of VAT and the
possibility of e-cigarettes being available free to patients on
prescription.

Some constituents have raised concerns about extra-strong and flavoured
e-cigarettes being banned under the medicines route, but that would be a
decision for the UK regulator. We on the Labour side in the European
Parliament would be in favour of maintaining a wide choice for consumers, as
long as the safety and quality of the product is proven.

Health organisations including Cancer Research, the British Heart
Foundation, ASH, and doctors associations have all come out in support of
the UK government medicines' approach, as this would ensure that
e-cigarettes are not promoted to children or non-smokers, creating a new
generation of nicotine addicts. You may be aware that there have already
been some press reports about schools having to ban e-cigarettes from their
premises. Adopting a medicines' approach would also mean that the products
are monitored, as little is known about long-term effects.

These are still early days in the legislative process and we are still a
long way away from any changes being implemented. The final legislation will
only be agreed following a negotiation process involving MEPs and government
Ministers from all 28 EU member countries. If and when a deal is eventually
reached, Linda McAvan is working to ensure that e-cigarette companies will
have several extra years in which to adapt to the new rules, so that there
are no interruptions to the supply of these products.

I hope you will find this helpful.

Best wishes,

Brian Simpson MEP

[Bluefish]

At least we will have several years to adapt fellow vapers, well adapt to this Brian Simpson

[Bluefish]

I think his letter requires a follow up letter to him, on a couple of points, ie, schools having to ban e-cigs? have they banned fags? ffs kids have always smoked at school, surely it's far better they vape than smoke, I know we know this, but you just can't talk to these people can you?

[fred]

Who wrote your letter Bluefish ?

Sept 6, 2013 21:17:23 GMT Bluefish said:

I have only one reply so far,


Thank you for your recent e-mail about e-cigarettes.

In common with all my Labour colleagues including my fellow North West MEP
Arlene McCarthy, to whom you have also written on this matter, I have
received many letters and e-mails from constituents over the last few
months, telling me how e-cigarettes have helped them to quit smoking and how
concerned they are that EU proposals to regulate these products could result
in an effective ban. The first point I would like to stress is that there
has been a lot of misinformation circulating about a possible ban on
e-cigarettes. Can I assure you from the outset that no-one wants to ban
e-cigarettes.

My colleague Linda McAvan is the MEP leading this draft legislation through
the European Parliament, and she has taken evidence from e-cigarette
companies, as well as from users, regulators and doctors. Linda sees
e-cigarettes as a promising development in smoking cessation and she has
spoken to many doctors, who specialise in tobacco related illnesses and who
have been recommending them to their patients.

For its part, the UK government has been looking at this issue for several
years and has recently concluded that e-cigarettes should be regulated in
the same way as nicotine gums and patches, in other words under light-touch
medicines legislation. In a recent vote in the European Parliament's Health
Committee, a majority of MEPs agreed with this approach.

Linda takes the view that the 'medicines' label would change very little in
terms of the availability of e-cigarettes in the UK. Over-the-counter
products like paracetamol are already widely sold in supermarkets, corner
shops and garages, as well as in pharmacies. Due to the fact that nicotine
is already a well-known substance, e-cigarettes would not be required to
undertake costly clinical trials, which may have pushed up prices. Moreover,
there could even be some advantages in terms of a lower rate of VAT and the
possibility of e-cigarettes being available free to patients on
prescription.

Some constituents have raised concerns about extra-strong and flavoured
e-cigarettes being banned under the medicines route, but that would be a
decision for the UK regulator. We on the Labour side in the European
Parliament would be in favour of maintaining a wide choice for consumers, as
long as the safety and quality of the product is proven.

Health organisations including Cancer Research, the British Heart
Foundation, ASH, and doctors associations have all come out in support of
the UK government medicines' approach, as this would ensure that
e-cigarettes are not promoted to children or non-smokers, creating a new
generation of nicotine addicts. You may be aware that there have already
been some press reports about schools having to ban e-cigarettes from their
premises. Adopting a medicines' approach would also mean that the products
are monitored, as little is known about long-term effects.

These are still early days in the legislative process and we are still a
long way away from any changes being implemented. The final legislation will
only be agreed following a negotiation process involving MEPs and government
Ministers from all 28 EU member countries. If and when a deal is eventually
reached, Linda McAvan is working to ensure that e-cigarette companies will
have several extra years in which to adapt to the new rules, so that there
are no interruptions to the supply of these products.

I hope you will find this helpful.

Best wishes,

Brian Simpson MEP

The same person who wrote mine, I think:

Dear fred,

Thank you for contacting me about e-cigarettes.

I have had many emails from people like yourself, who have found
e-cigarettes to really work in helping them to cut down on smoking, and
I am aware that many people feel strongly that their access to these
products should not be limited in any way.

There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about a proposed ban
on e-cigarettes. It might be worth underlining what has been said in
Parliament so far: nobody wants to ban e-cigarettes, and that is
certainly not my intention. On the contrary: I see e-cigarettes as a
promising development in smoking cessation, and I have spoken to many
doctors who specialise in tobacco related illnesses and who have been
recommending them to their patients.

Since e-cigarettes are such a new development, there is no specific
legislation to cover them, and at the moment they are largely
unregulated. It is exactly because of the potential of e-cigarettes that
I think it is important that consumers can be confident that the
products they buy are tested, safe, meet quality standards, and deliver
to users what they claim on the package.

The UK Government has been looking at the issue for several years, and
has recently concluded that e-cigarettes should be regulated in the same
way as nicotine gums and patches - i.e. under light-touch medicines
legislation. In a vote in the Health Committee of the European
Parliament, a majority of MEPs agreed with this approach.
The "medicines" label would change very little in terms of the
availability of e-cigarettes in the UK: over-the-counter products like
paracetamol are already widely sold in supermarkets, corner shops and
garages, as well as in pharmacies. As nicotine is already a well-known
substance, e-cigarettes would not be required to undertake costly
clinical trials, which may have pushed the price up, and there are even
some advantages in terms of a lower VAT rate, and the possibility of
e-cigarettes being available free to patients on prescription. Some
constituents have raised concerns about extra-strong and flavoured
e-cigs being banned under the medicines route, but this would be a
decision for the UK regulator - I would be in favour of maintaining a
wide choice for consumers, as long as the safety and quality of the
product is proven. (Nicotine gum and inhalors in different flavours and
in strengths of up to 15mg are already available in the UK.)

Health organisations including Cancer Research, the British Heart
Foundation, ASH, and doctors associations all support the UK Government
medicines approach, as this would ensure that e-cigarettes are not
promoted to children or non-smokers, creating a new generation of
nicotine addicts (there have already been some press reports about
schools having to ban e-cigarettes from the classroom). It would also
mean that the products are monitored, as little is known about long-term
effects.

We are still a long way away from any changes - the final legislation
will only be agreed following a negotiation process involving MEPs and
national ministers. Even once a deal is reached, I am working to ensure
that e-cigarette companies will have several extra years in which to
adapt to the new rules, so that there are no interruptions on the
market.

I hope this information is helpful.

Yours sincerely
Stephen S Hughes MEP
North East European Constituency Office
Room 4/38
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UR

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Muppets 

[upgrader]

Just vote UKIP next election and get us out of this un-constitutional mess that is called Europe

[ckc]

Bluefish Yep, I got the same copy and paste reply so I sent a return email.

[Bluefish]

Sept 6, 2013 21:34:42 GMT upgrader said:

Just vote UKIP next election and get us out of this un-constitutional mess that is called Europe

Out of EU, no problemo I'm there, UKIP can go xxxx them selves

[neptune]

During a war, one sometimes has to choose allies that one would not choose in peacetime. Did we not choose Russia as an ally in World War Two? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I will not hestitate to vote UKIP.

[markm]

Anyone who gets the Labour Party cut and paste needs to follow up, they
Possibly believe the line about "light touch" , explain what the MHRA have
Already announced and how that will remove all products and that the costs
To get anything new onto the market are so prohibitive that none of the current
Suppliers will be able to trade.
Remember the same lies are being told to the Labour Party by the wicked witch
They need to be educated about what's going to realy happen.

[Raffles]

Article from today's 'The Grocer'

www.thegrocer.co.uk/topics/eu-tobacco-directive-stalled-by-centre-right-meps/349249.article

I'm probably behind the game here, but one paragraph took my attention...

Quote...
'This week’s changes included a proposal to reduce the planned coverage of pictorial health warnings from 75% of the front and back of packs to 50%, and the deletion of a proposal to regulate e-cigarettes as medicines.'

Is this good news, or am I being naive?

[dnglos]

Raffles A similar report here: blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2013/09/05/european-parliament-delays-vote-on-new-tobacco-regulation/

On Wednesday the EPP group – the biggest faction in the legislature — backed a number of changes to the bill that it will seek to introduce in plenary. These would shrink the warning labels to 50% of the package surface, lift the ban on slim cigarettes and give health regulators eight years to decide whether to prohibit menthols. E-cigarettes, meanwhile, would merely have to carry warning labels and e-liquids could continue to come in various flavors.

[chuck]

My first reply

Dear constituent,

Thank you for your email to Struan Stevenson MEP setting out your thoughts on a proposal issued by the European Commission to amend current European law concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products.

As you are aware, among the products to be affected by the proposed changes are electronic inhalers (e-cigarettes). The Commission proposes to limit the amount of nicotine in solutions sold for use in electronic cigarettes to four milligrams of nicotine per millilitre, unless the products have been classified as for medicinal use. This would render the solution too weak to be a viable source of nicotine for smokers or ex-smokers, or would require manufacturers to apply for a costly licence to manufacture medicinal products.

Many constituents feel similarly strongly and have also contacted Struan on this issue. Rest assured that Struan has examined the arguments and sees the potential e-cigarettes offer as harm-reduction devices to improve human health. He understands 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 to return smoking if the directive is amended as foreseen and nicotine concentrations are limited to 4mg/ml. There is no doubt that this will lead to a large percentage of such users dying of smoking-related diseases that they might otherwise have avoided. Such arguments have led Struan to conclude that the proposed changes to limit permitted concentrations of nicotine solution sold in the EU are counter-productive and will do more harm than good.

As a member of the Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Struan is putting forward these arguments and working to convince other MEPs of the foolishness of diluting nicotine solution to the point of uselessness, or of limiting the availability of e-cigarettes by classifying them as a medical device. If you have not already done so I would encourage you to write to your local MP and request that they also raise the matter in Westminster. 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.

The plenary vote on revision of the Tobacco Products Directive is set to take place on 9 September 2013, although this date is subject to change. We are happy to receive any further comments and suggestions you may have before then.

I hope you find this information helpful and please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Best wishes,

Catriona


Catriona Meehan

Office of Struan Stevenson MEP
President of the Iraq Delegation
Senior Vice-President of the Fisheries Committee

European Parliament
Brussels