CASAA Launches New Web Page About FDA & e-Cigarettes

CASAA Launches New Web Page About FDA & e-Cigarettes

As my readers know, I have touched on the impending FDA regulations. There is a lot of history with the FDA and e-Cigarettes. While regulation in the industry is needed, the ever-present worry that the FDA will over step its bounds drives most Vapers to become vocal about this issue.

Today CASAA launched a new webpage that helps explains a little of the history with the FDA and touches on what the impeding regulation could mean. http://casaa.org/deeming_regulations.html

The impending regulation will be officially handed down in April. There will be a 60-Day period of time that allows for public response. Regulation could come swiftly after that time period.

Your Voice Will Be Needed

 

If you do not belong to CASAA,  please immediately go to  http://casaa.org/Become_a_Member.html and become a member. It costs nothing, and you will receive CASAA updates and Call To Action notices.

The FDA has all the resources in the world. As Vapers we have CASAA to gather and rally us.  Our strength is each other, and when united our Voice is louder.

Become an Active Advocate

 

Signing up as a CASAA member is great, but push is going to come to shove very shortly. Each of us needs to make our voice heard. Sharing your experience, sending emails and letters, and gathering the support of your family and friends who are not vapers can make a difference. When petitions are launched, share and promote them to everybody that knows you and can attest to the difference that e-Cigarettes have made in your life.

Contact your State's Officials and Candidates running for Office, regardless of there being a Call to Action. Make your Voice heard, and let them know you are watching.

Freedom to Choose

 

This needs to transcend from being a "Vaper Thing" into a "Freedom to Choose" Right. The FDA will claim them act in the interest of Public Health. But upon careful examination it is very questionable motives that are driving these actions.

Big Pharmaceutical companies have lurked in the shadow of this debate. Add the desire to create taxation on a product to add to the coffers of State Government's seeking to balance out budget shortfalls, and you can see how quickly this become less and less a concern for "Public Health".

Tobacco and Nicotine are NOT Illegal. Yet the FDA is gearing up to treat Vaping and e-Cigarettes as if it where an illicit substance. If this attack was on Tobacco products alone, there would be 43.8 million people standing with us. We don't have those numbers, which is why YOUR VOICE is so important.

Stay Informed, Be Active, And Make Your Voice Heard!

UPDATE: CASAA Call To Action!

http://blog.casaa.org/2013/03/urgent-utah-bill-to-tax-e-cigarettes.html

Utah is trying to rush legislation through that will tax e-Cigarettes at 86% and ban e-Cigarette sales through the mail and the internet. There are 3 Brick and Mortar stores for ElectronicStix alone in Utah, and this will directly affect those stores.

Please contact all the representatives* that CASAA lists, and share you story and let them know that these rulings are unfair!

This Committee will meet tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6th. Get your emails in NOW!

* NOTE: The Comments section at the bottom of CASAA's page lists the correct addresses for 2 of the reps listed.

UPDATE: The Utah House Health and Human Services Committee voted to pass HB372 out of committee with minor amendments.  The bill would still tax e-cigarette products containing nicotine at an exorbitant 86% of manufacturer's price.

Action is needed by vapers in Utah and beyond to stop this bill from passing the House of Representatives. 
This bill must be voted on by March 11, 2013 for it to be possible to go to the Senate.

Please continue to send your emails and letters!

May I, Please and Thank You: Etiquette in Vaping

May I ?

Manners are important. While I don't want this post confused with the recent Anti-Vaping stance from Miss Manners, I do want to talk about a rather touchy subject when it comes to Vaping: Etiquette.

While I can reassure you that I will never be seated next to the Queen, nor will I ever have to give a talk in front of the Nation, I do have some real world experience with dealing with Vaping in public.

There are many public and private properties where I have vaped, and there are many that I have not. As a New Vaper you are excited to have found this awesome alternative to smoking, and you will want to do it everywhere. However, if an establishment has a smoking ban, before you vape, have some consideration and ask.

I know, I can already hear the argument that you are screaming at your computer screen. I know those arguments, and have all the same information that you have.

The reason you should ask is simple: We ALL Want Vaping To Be A Positive Experience When In The Public Eye.

Why? Because believe it or not, You Are A Pioneer.

When you started vaping, you became part of a Cause. No, you probably did not realize it. You were probably just looking for an alternative to tobacco. Maybe you had a friend that sold you on the concept of Vaping. Or perhaps you were just fed up with the cost of tobacco cigarettes.

Regardless of how you arrived, you became part of a large Community of people you may never meet, never know their names, and may have only one thing in common with... Vaping.

Membership in this Community has given you and each member one goal: To be able to have the freedom to continue Vaping.

How Vapers interact in public is important because as the FDA tries to take away our rights and tries to tax these products, we want the public opinion of vaping to be positive. How you interact with businesses and the public can help the Cause.

Ask "May I use my e-Cigarette?". If they have questions be respectful, be informative, and be nice. If a business says No, then respect that decision.  If they seem open, discuss their policy. If there is no indoor Vaping ban in your area, share that information. Offer information if they would like to learn more. If they do allow Vaping, tell them Thank You, that you appreciate it, and that you will be sure to let other Vapers know that their establishment allows it.

Behaving belligerent, insulting, or like an idiot will score you no points, and weakens our Cause. We want to keep Vaping in the best light possible, and as you interact with the public you can help.

I know, you didn't want a Cause. You didn't want to feel responsible for something that should be a right, a freedom. But it's on you, me, and every Vaper out there to try to keep public opinion positive. In the very least, we'll settle for "It's goofy looking, but since it won't harm me, it doesn't bother me," from the public at large.

As a Vaper you can make a difference in public opinion everyday. Make those experiences positive ones.

Please?

Since I am on the subject of Etiquette, I would like to discuss the positive power of the humble word "Please". As a child of the 70's, I often think that I might be part of the last generation that was taught to use the word Please. Little did I know that this simple word would make my course in life a little easier.

As I discovered Vaping, the use of the word Please opened many doors, and resulted in getting more information and help then I ever realized it could.

From my simple request of "Can someone please explain...", to "Could you please include a sample?" the power of Please is evident. Vapers, Vendors, and Forums are out there with information, and being respectful and courteous will lead you to a more fulfilling experience in Vaping, and Life in general.

So get out there and Seize the Power of Please!

Thank You

There are vendors, and there are Vendors. You know exactly what I am talking about if you have placed an order for e-Cig equipment or eJuice. Some vendors are simply here to move product. But real Vendors are here to sell you good products at a fair price, answer your questions or concerns, and want to retain you as a customer.

Have you told those Vendors Thank You?

Did you realize that most Vendors have a Facebook page? Or that many of them have a way for you to review products that you have purchased on their web-site?

Vendors aren't nameless, faceless organizations. Vendors are people. They are working hard to gain your business, and to provide you products that will help you on your journey.

A Thank You is always appreciated. Did a Vendor go above and beyond for you? Thank them and share it with the Community. Post a shout out on a forum, Facebook, or the vendors web-site. Let others know that you had a great experience, and share the Vape Love.

The Little Things Make A Difference

While I am not here to preach or dictate etiquette to anyone, I do hope that some of my readers take the above advice to heart. It's the little things we say and do that can make the biggest difference in our Community. Common courtesy can go a long way, in Vaping and in Life.

Vape On, Readers, Vape On!

Close to Home... A Call To Action From CASAA

While e-Cigarettes are coming under attack, it is CASAA that is responsible for keeping us humble vapers in the loop about what is going on across this nation of ours.

The most recent Call to Action comes for a State that is Wisconsin's neighbor, Minnesota.

http://blog.casaa.org/2013/03/call-to-action-minnesota-bill-to-impose.html

Vapers in Minnesota already have a unfair and hefty tax on e-Cigarettes. Now the Minnesota State Legislature is trying to increase those taxes.

PLEASE consider lending your voice to oppose these unfair taxes, and outrageous increase. The CASAA blog gives you a list of items to touch on, and you can easily use it for a template.  I have included the email I crafted below. Feel free to use it as a guide to help you formulate your own. This will take you only a few minutes, and can easily be sent to all of the members of the House Committee on Taxes & the Senate Committee on Taxes.

Open Message to Minnesota House Committee on Taxes & the Senate Committee on Taxes:

"As a resident of a neighboring state I oppose HF 91 / SF 209 because the bills would further raise the arbitrary and counter-productive tax on products like e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and dissolveable tobacco.

My personal experience with e-cigarettes gave me freedom from tobacco 2 years ago. There are almost NO known dangers to using Nicotine. It is the burning of tobacco that endangers lives, the process of the inhalation of SMOKE and the TAR that comes with it. In the 2 years I have been an e-cigarette user on lung function has dramatically improved. It was my personal physician that recommend trying e-cigarettes, and I will be forever grateful for this life-saving advice.

The sole purpose of increasing cigarette taxes has been to cover governmental healthcare expenditure caused by smoking and to discourage smoking. Since all smoke-free tobacco products are 98-99% less hazardous than cigarettes, there is no fiscal or public health justification for such a hefty tax. Not to mention that all of that money seems to disappear in covering budgetary short-falls rather than ANY public health programs.

Most e-cigarette sales are made online, enactment of this legislation would send more e-cigarette consumers online to buy e-cigarettes. Convenience stores and brick-and-mortar stores in MN would be unable to compete against out-of-state and international online suppliers. Enacting this tax harms your local business owners, further weakening your economy.

Minnesota is the only state that taxes e-cigarettes. Bills to do so in other states have failed in committee. This equates to waste time and energy that should be applied to serious issues like the job creation within your state.

Many smokers who switch to less hazardous electronic cigarettes do so because e-cigarettes are less expensive than cigarettes. Increasing the costs of e-cigarettes to that of cigarettes would discourage many smokers from switching to e-cigarettes and could also encourage some e-cigarette consumers to go back to cigarette smoking.

In this day and and age, where the effects of smoking are well known, we have yet to see any serious decline in the number of smokers. Yet when the possibility of Tobacco Harm Reduction methods are mentioned, it seems that everyone from the FDA to local State legislation wants to stick their heads in the sand and ignore the possibility. This is short-sighted and detrimental. Tobacco Harm Reduction WORKS, and has helped thousands if not millions of people transition from Tobacco. If you truly care about the Health of your State's population you need to make Tobacco Harm Reduction methods cost LESS than expensive than smoking. Quitting smoking is the hardest thing I have ever done, and it was the price-point of e-Cigarettes that made me take the plunge and give them a try.

Please consider introducing an amendment to modify Minnesota's definition of "tobacco product" so that the State no longer imposes any taxes on e-cigarettes. Under current law, Minnesota's cigarette tax is $1.23 per pack. If an e-cigarette retailer purchases a disposable e-cigarette for $4.00 at wholesale, the retailer currently pays a tax of $2.80 (70% of $4.00). Under HF 91 / SF 209, the tax would be $4.40 (70% of $4.00). What possible explanation is there to why an e-cigarette user (using a Tobacco Harm Reduction method) should pay a higher effective tax rate than cigarette smokers?

I implore you to educate yourself on Tobacco Harm Reduction.

http://casaa.org/Scientific_Opinion__THR.html

Your lack of information could be detrimental to Minnesota's tobacco users looking for freedom from smoking."

Clubbin' With The Vapers

Connecting with other vapers can help you along your e-Cig and vaping journey. While forums and vape networks help you meet some awesome folks and learn a lot about vaping in the process, sometimes having something explained one on one, in person, makes it easier to learn.

Enter the Vaping Clubs! As vaping has become a hobby for many e-Cig enthusiasts, many States now have their very own Vaper Clubs.  These clubs are a great place to meet other vapers and talk "shop". With vaping becoming not only a hobby but a passion for many former smokers, most vapers want to share their experience, share pros and cons of devices and equipment, and discuss their latest purchases.

Meets are held in a public setting that allows vaping on its premises (typically a  bar or restaurant), sometimes there are giveaways or raffles, or even a vendor on-site selling. Each club runs their meets differently, but they all share one common goal, to allow vapers to socialize!

As you may have already noticed, not many people vape. You may not even know another vaper! While vaping is becoming more mainstream and more popular, it sometimes feels like you're the only one doing it. Connecting with a local club will help you overcome that feeling, and allow you to connect with folks in real life!

Lots of other places have vape clubs as well! You can find some right on Facebook, or they may even have their own website! Here's links to some of the clubs out there:

Alamo City Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/pages/Alamo-City-Vapers-Club/163388993771231
ATLVapers -www.facebook.com/groups/ATLVapers/
Buckeye Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/BuckeyeVapersClub
Cali Vapers (CA) - www.facebook.com/CaliVapers
Cascadian Vapers Society (Tacoma, WA) - www.facebook.com/CascadianVapersSociety
CentralFloridaVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/268374536603081/
CenTex Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/CenTexVapersClub
CentralTexasVapors - www.facebook.com/groups/218033548231463/
Colorado Vapers - www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Vapers/467358229995544
Florida Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/florida.vapersclub
Houston Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/HoustonVapersClub
Idaho Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/pages/Idaho-Vapers-Club/263935543642982
Idaho Treasure Valley Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/groups/177849538970351/
International Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/intlvapersclub
Kansas City Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/KCVapersClub
KC Vapers (Kansas City Metro Vapers) - www.facebook.com/pages/KC-Vapers/205638362791989
L.A. Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/LAVAPERSCLUB
Michigan Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/groups/420052901414847/
www.michiganvapersclub.com
MiddleTnVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/287114218009505/
Montgomery Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/MontgomeryVapersClub
MotorCity Vapers Club (Michigan) - www.facebook.com/groups/motorcityvapersclub/
National Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/pages/National-Vapers-Club/125212637512122/
NewEnglandVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/newenglandvapers/
NorthernMichiganVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/476000375765133/
Northwest Vapers - www.facebook.com/NorthwestVapers
NYVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/NYVapers/
OhioVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/273254256098200/
Oklahoma Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/groups/oklahomavapersclub/
Salt Lake Vapers - www.facebook.com/saltlake.vapers
Santa Rosa Junior College United Vapers - www.facebook.com/SRJCUnitedVapers
San Diego Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/groups/sandiegovapersclub/
Scenic-City Vapers (Chattanooga, TN) - www.facebook.com/groups/sceniccityvapers/
SmokyMtnVapersClub - www.facebook.com/groups/146085778789495/
SoCal Vapers Club (SCVC) - www.facebook.com/groups/155357557822768/
SouthCarolinaVapersForum - www.facebook.com/groups/480372995307915/
South Florida Vapers - www.facebook.com/southflorida.vapers
SteelCityVapersNWI (Pennsylvania)  - www.facebook.com/groups/395507713852729/
Steel City Vapers' Club - www.facebook.com/groups/277839008957372/
Suncoast Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/groups/183108085157965/
SunshineStateVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/475751969115688/
Utah Vapers Association - www.facebook.com/UtahVapers
WesternNorthCarolinaVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/486632791362389/
White Rose Vaper's Club (South Central PA) - www.facebook.com/WhiteRoseVapersClub
Windy City Vapers Club - www.facebook.com/pages/Windy-City-Vapers-Club/180596931981104
www.facebook.com/groups/WindyCiityVapersClub/
www.windycityvapersclub.com
WisconsinVapers - www.facebook.com/groups/WisconsinVapers/
WNY Vapers - www.facebook.com/WnyVapors