So should I be panicking or not??

[Tetsab]

Hello to all my good friends here, with apologies for such a long absence of posts! I have been lurking occasionally for ages and as always picked up useful hints, tips and contacts - eg, the lovely James.

I am still one of the UK's smallest e-cig sellers, only selling in person at a few local events and markets, but have recently been quite astonishingly busy; some customers have recommended me to others, who have recommended me to others, who have... and so on. It could be just a flurry, but it might be the start of a cascade. At this rate I might even turn a small profit!!

So my shock this morning at tripping over the furor about the Trading Standards Officer's email saying the MHRA decision has been made (ban) followed by another hour trying to find out if this was correct (no-one seems sure?) has rocked me on my heels, rather.

Knowing that some folk here always seem to have their fingers bang on the pulse and I could spend all day in ECF, UKVapers etc trying to find out what is REALLY going on - I'm here pleading for someone to put me straight: Should I be panicking or not?

My personal optomism level about the UK legislative situation has been up and down like a yo-yo (or a UK economy graph) over the last few months but had settled back to something almost reasonable after the June meeting and the MHRA being slapped for doing such a lousy job. Today it has plummeted off the scale like a stock market crash...

[Chrissie]

It is so good to see you tetsy

That letter from that Trading Standard's Office has been sorted - she was just quoting some mis-information she was given by another TSO .

Off to find some links for you

[Chrissie]

Firstly, here is the letter you refer to from the West Sussex TSO : -

vapersnetwork.org/Kate/MHRA%20banning%20letter.pdf

A response from that TSO to a UKvapers member :-

Dear Tim

I have not had a direct contact from MHRA. My information was second hand through another trading standards authority who said they had been in contact with MHRA. My letter, in hindsight, was poorly worded in that I should have said "we understand the outcome will be...." or "the likely outcome....", or "the outcome may be.....". I believe there were/ are 3 outcomes being discussed by the MHRA and I did acknowldge in the letter that the consultation had not finished yet.

Obviously my letter was not intended for public consumption. Appologies for any confusion.

Regards

Helen Wale

And a post on ECF from Freakindahouse (Katherine Devlin) : -

Hi all,

The Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association, ECITA, has today published the attached press release in response to these events. I spoke with Helen Wale this morning first thing, and pointed out that she had not qualified her remarks. This appears to have been reflected in her response to Tim!

I think they're all in a bit of a pickle, but it's excellent grist to our mill in fighting off the MHRA.

Marvellous!

Cheers,
Katherine

[Perpetua]

((( Tetsab )))

Thank goodness for that Chris - I could only find this

www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/tag/mhra

I knew you'd know.

[Chrissie]

perpy, I've modified my last post & added a response from Helen Wale.

[Tetsab]

So it IS another storm in a teacup, Chrissie? This is the real snag with the size of ECF & so forth - sorting out the true hot p**p! (Bit saddened seeing some rather nasty remarks about Kate, too)

I am sorry I haven't been contributing here for so long, haven't posted in ECF for even longer (got a bit paranoid about them tagging me as a 'supplier') and the habit of just lurking but not posting sort of stuck...

Plus I have been really busy out in 'the real world' - finally, after all these years got a psych medic who gave me some pills for depression that actually keep you awake and get you going instead of making you feel even more like you have been run over by a fleet of artics!

So I have been trying (with a little success) to make some money while the sun shines; still rather scared I may plummet again as the nights draw in.

Speaking of money - must get an email off to James, need some more liquid from him; have run out of (read: sold all of) the MarliB I had from before he went off to the States.

Thanks so much for speed of response, Chrissie and Perpetua, feel a little calmer now!

[Chrissie]

Yes it was a bit of a storm in a tea cup & that's the main reason I didn't start a thread in here about it until I had more info as I didn't want to panic folks. (I'm also very saddened by the nasty remarks about Kate as well )

Don't apologise about not posting, I so understand about the habit of just lurking as I tend to do that on a couple of other forums. It really is good to see you though

Glad you have got some AD's that are helping, I know so well about the ones that make you feel even more like you have been run over by a fleet of artics! I've been really strugling with trying not to plummet to far for the last few weeks. Losing 2 of my beloved cats on the same day (one to an RTA the other, an oldie, to a massive stroke) really sent me over the edge

[Perpetua]

It's a typical Government body's lash up if I might say so - release/leak total mis-information about something that causes people needless upset.

Right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. >

Having spent 20years as a small business person I can imagine your panic completely.

(((( Tetsab & Chris ))))

[Tetsab]

(((((Chrissie!!!!!)))))

Heartbroken to hear of your losses, I am so sorry. A double bereavement like that would hit anyone hard, even if they were not vulnerable. You must hold on really tight to the knowledge that the lives they had with you were good lives.

...and I should actually have realised that if there WAS anything to this silly fuss with the MHRA of course there would have been a thread here about it.

[Chrissie]

Thanks (((Tetsy)))

We still of course, don't know what the MHRA's decision will be though.

[hissie]

Chrissie, here's me moaning about not been able to vape, while you are greiving over the loss of your 2 precious pussy cats.

BIG HUGS xx

[Chrissie]

Awww thank you (((Hissie)))

[magicma]

YAY - Tetsy is still around!! Good to see you back. MM

[Scylla]

Tetsy!!!!!!!!!!! How lovely to see you - Chrissie and I were saying, not too long ago, that we missed you I bought a bottle of the juice you made for Tim (he went back onto Champix ) it was just 20ml, by the time I got used to it it was finished

Am pleased you've found a good AD and will keep fingers crossed for you as the nights draw in

scylla x

[Tetsab]

Hi MM & Scylla - lovely to 'see' you too!

I've caught up a bit so now know that you may finally be making that long-threatened move at last, MM. I'm sure I've still missed masses of things so please forgive me (and let me know!!) if I put my foot in it anytime. I have actually spent much longer than I should have looking around in here, following interesting links etc...oops - where does the time go??

Scylla, do hope you enjoyed the juice - I think it was the Belgian Praline? Seem to recall Tim had something like 9 or 12mg though and always thought of you as a "full-strength" gal!

Chrissie, I did realise we still have that famous 'decision' to come in Sept but rather hoped they had realised how foolish going for 'ban' would make them look. Due to the public condemnation the MHRA got from the other lot (Regulatory Policy Committee) they would be wide open to challenge for what basically amounts to incompetence, ie not doing their job properly.

I'm still subscribed to a few threads over at ECF about stuff like this and it was catching up on these that brought me up short yesterday - then I couldn't seem to locate anything definitive saying "This is nonsense". That Katherine Devlin's a clever girl, isn't she? I'm delighted she is on 'our' team.

I was rather surprised though (a bit horrified, TBH) by something else I spotted in the press release; another of the contacts given at the foot of the letter is a chap at E-Lites of all places. They are an outfit I'd heard of a while back and thought of as a fairly good example of what I'd be inclined to regard as the cowboy rip-off element in the e-cig industry!!

Better hop off & get busy now - masses to get ready for markets etc over the weekend, meant to get a load of it done yesterday but somehow...didn't!