Forest, voice and friend of the vaper?
Monday, March 10, 2014 at 17:28 A motion at a meeting of the British Medical Association Scotland will call for the Scottish Government to introduce severe restrictions on where e-cigarettes can be used and sold.
The full motion reads:
That this conference is concerned at the current lack of regulation of electronic cigarettes and, whilst welcoming the decision by the MHRA to regulate electronic cigarettes as a medicine, calls on the Scottish Government to:
i. include e-cigarettes within the products banned from use in enclosed public places
ii. prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to those under 18 years
iii. ensure that e-cigarettes are only displayed for sale alongside other nicotine replacement therapies.
The Scotsman asked me for a response, which I was happy to provide. See: Call for ban on e-cigarettes in public places (Scotsman)
Amusingly, someone called Barry Lees has commented:
"Every time there's a story on the go about tobacco, the media fall over themselves to get a hold of Simon Clark as though he's some kind of medical expert ...
I posted this on Twitter and added:
No, just an advocate of choice working for a group with a 35-year history of defending consumer rights.
Meanwhile someone else tweeted:
The problem is this associates vaping with smoking in the public mind. Could Simon not refer enquiries to ECCA [Electronic Cigarette Consumer Association]?
To which I replied:
So ECCA can tell journalists e-cigs can "rid the world of tobacco" (and smokers)?
I then linked to a post I wrote a couple of months ago:
While Forest supports the development of e-cigs and other nicotine delivery systems because we are committed to choice, ECCA, their allies and their cheerleaders in the blogosphere sound more like Tobacco Control every day.
If ECCA wants to promote vaping in that manner so be it but don't expect Forest to help by directing the media in their direction.
We've got our own message and it doesn't involve ridding the the world of tobacco.
Reader Comments (5)
Well said.
The big pharmaceutical companies want to regulate vaping so that they can a/ produce them themselves; b/ hike the prices to ludicrous levels, just as they have done with nicotine gum and other products; and, c/ protect their own turf of 'smoking cessation' drugs.
Consequently they spend a fortune sponsoring studies by the medical profession and their acolytes provided always that the studies arrive at the conclusions they want from the outset, regardless of the evidence.
The latest is the ridiculous assertions of Stanton Glantz et al based upon evidence that is almost precisely to the contrary of their actual findings and has even been damned by the American Cancer Society.
Lets get some truth on the Vaping Issue. Vaping is effecting the profits of Pharmaceutical mafia so now the big bucks are being ploughed into the back pockets of the puppet politicians and "health experts".
If 1.3 million vapers have given up cigarettes even the government are feeling the pinch to the tune of Circa £2.37 BILLION (BILLION) PER ANNUM.
"So ECCA can tell journalists e-cigs can "rid the world of tobacco" (and smokers)?"
Exactly why I don't trust them either. Why can't both Forest and Ecca work together and decide to abandon offensive language on both sides.
The truth is, as I've said before, Vapers think that to be left alone they need to bash smokers and smoking and present themselves and their product as superior.
That is the only reason why vapers and smokers can't become one and fight a common enemy.
Entirely agree.
All consumers have a common enemy, the thoroughly corrupt organisations representing themselves as 'public health', and their commercial backers. They are, in the main, rent-seeking parasites. In the case of the tobacco control industry, they are toxic parasites whose chief product is lies.
Apart from the corruption, they are useless at what they do (or claim to do): the number of smokers in the UK has risen by more than half a million in the last few years. So let's make that useless, incompetent, corrupt, toxic parasites.
Can't argue with any of that Simon.
Despite the fact I make my living selling e-cigs I would never dream of defaming smokers (I was one for 20+ years), the attitude escapes me completely.
If we had a bit less evangelicism and a bit more recognition that it's still the same bastards going after the same people then the world would be a happier place.
Keep up the good work Simon.