The Electronic Cigarette Struggles Against Anti-smoking Groups and Government Organizations

With an ever growing supply of information regarding the electronic cigarette, it seems those who should be educating themselves in order to make informed decisions, have been the first to turn a blind eye to the benefits of this product ...
By: Monte_Alto
 
Nov. 12, 2009 - PRLog -- I have been a smoker off and on throughout the course of my life, so I am very familiar with the tobacco cigarette and the deadly consequences of smoking. I have made a few half-hearted attempts to quit utilizing a few of the "approved products" and in all honesty, they just simply did not work for me ... as it turns out, they don't really seem to work for the majority of smokers trying to quit.

I noticed a short blurb about the "electronic cigarette" during a local newscast a few months ago and decided to look into the product. After reading everything I could find about them, I ordered one ... and although it took longer  to arrive than expected, the day I received it ... I made the switch to vapor. I feel that it is necessary to point out that I did not purchase the product in order to help me quit smoking, I purchased it because I felt it was a viable alternative and it proved to be exactly that. I have not smoked a tobacco cigarette since the day I received it.

We have heard promises for years about intended reduction regarding the harmful effects from smoking tobacco products, but each and every promised attempt has fallen far short of the goal. I'm of the mind, that since we can't trust someone else to do the right thing for us ... perhaps it's time for us to take control of our own lives and do what we believe is best for us, ourselves.

In all honesty, I really am baffled with regards to the stance the Governments and Health care systems have taken regarding the electronic cigarette. For years, they have stated that they are doing everything possible for both the smokers and the non-smokers, so I am sure you can understand my confusion at their insistence that this product be boycotted and banned. The majority of the Government officials, Health Care staff and FDA personnel, plus many others are all crying wolf, but none of them seem to know anything about the product they are so insistent to rid the market of.

A perfect example is Law Professor John Banzhaf, Esq. the loud and as always, effective voice behind Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). We all know what a wonderful job he has done over the years and is basically regarded as the watchdog looking after the non-smokers rights. He has also been instrumental in setting up cigarette bans in his efforts to protect us from the very real dangers posed by the tobacco products.

It is his fight which has forever changed how we think about smoking and has made such a change for the better for so many people. Although a smoker, I had always admired him for his tireless efforts regarding the tobacco products and the advancements which have been made over the years due to his extensive contribution.

Considering his stance on the tobacco products though, I am completely mystified as to why he would now do his very best to stop the sale and ban the use of electronic cigarettes. With his level of education and supposed knowledge of smoking and it's effects ... he is one person that I would have expected to have a sensible view and reasonable approach to this product and instead ... he has completely dismissed the facts involved and has effectively vilified a product, that would effectively take us to another level completely, in our fight against tobacco.

For years, he has pushed for smokers to quit using every means available to them. The problem is that a good majority of the products are not effective and the smoker returns to the familiarity of the product he or she has learned to both hate to love and love to hate. There are many others that smoke simply because they like to smoke. As such, the electronic cigarette is a viable alternative to a toxic product which kills hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, each year.

The following is a statement taken from the ASH UK briefing Oct 2009

“ASH supports a harm reduction approach to tobacco, that is, we recognize that whilst efforts to help people stop smoking should remain a priority, many people either do not wish to stop smoking or find it very hard to do so. For this group, we believe that products should be made available that deliver nicotine in a safe way, without the harmful components found in tobacco. Most of the diseases associated with smoking are caused by inhaling smoke which contains thousands of toxic chemicals. By contrast, nicotine is relatively safe. Therefore, e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine without the harmful toxins found in tobacco smoke, are likely to be a safer alternative to smoking. In addition, e-cigarettes reduce secondhand smoke exposure since they do not produce smoke.”  

http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_715.pdf

The ASH USA site however, has instead vilified the electronic cigarette and placed it alongside the toxic tobacco products, treating them as if they produce the same toxic mix of chemicals, when they in fact, compare instead to the other nicotine products already approved and readily available in the marketplace. Feel free to visit the Smoke vs Vapor website below, for easily accessible information regarding the product, the safety reports and other pertinent information.

http://smoke-vs-vapor.webs.com/

There is no doubt, John Banzhaf is fully aware of the fact that the toxic mix of chemicals he warns of, are produced by the burning process, but these last months, he has made wildly inaccurate claims regarding the actual dangers involved with the use of the electronic cigarette, which go against all of his own research and views he has shared over the years. He has even implied that it is the nicotine and not the toxic mix of chemicals inhaled through the burning process of the tobacco products ... which cause the problem.  

The following statement taken from the ASH website is a prime example ...

"If you don’t want people sitting next to you – in a waiting room, restaurant, bar, or any other area where smoking is now prohibited – using one of these devices to get around smoking bans, and forcing you and your loved ones to inhale deadly nicotine – please help now!”

http://ash.org/4dangers.html

Keep in mind, the ASH UK  report states “Most of the diseases associated with smoking are caused by inhaling smoke which contains thousands of toxic chemicals. By contrast, nicotine is relatively safe. “  

He has effectively and almost single-handedly, cut millions of consumers around the world, off from a product they had come to embrace as “The” viable alternative for smoking, that they had been looking for. Sadly, in doing so, he has succeeded in forcing those same consumers to return to the tobacco products that he is fully aware will kill them. Amazingly, he has even taken it one step further and demanded that anyone still able to use this new product, be banished and forced to remain among people smoking real cigarettes ... thus effectively forcing them to keep inhaling the toxic blend of deadly chemicals that they are trying to rid themselves of.

Yes ... he is a formidable foe for those who oppose him and yes ... he is also someone that we have relied on and trusted to look after our best interests for decades, but I am now left to wonder exactly what his agenda is and when his priorities changed. His recent actions have flown in the face of all he has stood for and been preaching for decades and for me, he now represents one of those snake-oil salesman pushing his skewed views from atop his apple-box. I have to say that I am very disappointed in his recent actions, simply because it seems that he did not do his research on the electronic cigarette before setting off on this reckless course of action. In essence, his decision to rid the world of the electronic cigarette seems to lack any sort of reasonable and rational viewpoint ... which leaves me wondering if his cheese has finally slid off his cracker.

For anyone that may have forgotten the SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: "Smoking" Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema And May Complicate Pregnancy.

# # #

The FDA Press Release regarding the safety of the electronic cigarette, effectively created a panic that spread like wildfire leading to a product boycott and border bans. You can find full and complete test results at my Smoke vs Vapor website.
End
Source:Monte_Alto
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Tags:Consumer Products, Human Rights, Unconstitutional Laws, Governmental Misconduct, Violation Of Rights
Industry:Health, Tobacco, Technology
Location:Kelowna - British Columbia - Canada
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Page Updated Last on: Nov 26, 2009
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