Special Media Roundup - Summer's Coming, Comm'r Hamburg says it's "very soon" - what kind of Showtime??

[Roger_Lafayette]

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Welcome to this special 4/4/14 media roundup on poison control call center stories, and the recent CDC media blitz.

As you likely know, the CDC published a comparative analysis yesterday of poison control center calls (and adverse results) associated with tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The media response was overwhelming.

By noon today, about 24 hours after the press release, there were so many articles that I knew I had to simply stop reading and collecting more. Within this special media roundup, you'll find almost a hundred stories listed, which exclude perhaps another fifty or so which were syndications, "knock-offs" or other pieces that weren't worth covering.

As many of you also already know: FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told senators at a Congressional budget hearing - just 100 minutes after the official timestamp of the CDC press release - that it has taken too long to move the rule forward and that she expects the proposal to be ready for release 'very soon.' See, e.g.: http://www.reuters
.com/article/2014/04/03/us-fda-ecigarettes-idUSBREA321SC20140403

My own view is that the CDC didn't just unintentionally "step on" the state poison control center directors who were gradually releasing their data and/or warnings in a "drip-drip-drip" manner. Nor was it some random coincidence that the Commissioner indicated that action will occur shortly.

As observers of American issue politics know, very little of political substance moves in this country between the two holidays of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, which bookend the summer.

So w/o further ado ... here's today's special survey of the poison control center stories - especially the recent media blitz by the CDC - and their possible signicance.


***

ORGANIZATION OF THIS SPECIAL ROUNDUP

Note: many of these stories contain headlines which conflate "calls" with "poisonings," but this type of reporting has become so routine among the U.S. press that I haven't bothered to distinguish. However the titles make this rather obvious anyway. (Titles are also often chosen by an editor or a copy editor after the story as written, and sometimes the person who choses the title doesn't bother to read the piece.)

1) Overview of the CDC paper and its press release

2) "Skeptical" coverage

3) "Noteworthy" coverage

4) Coverage from vaping opponents

5) "Hit Jobs" (particularly negative coverage)

6) Poison control call center stories that preceeded the press release

7) My takeaway: summer's coming - it's show time!


***

1) OVERVIEW OF THE CDC PAPER AND PRESS RELEASE.

[I've decided not to break the links to these twoofficial U.S. Government documents.]

Title: Notes from the Field: Calls to Poison Centers for Exposures to Electronic Cigarettes -- United States, September 2010-February 2014
(CDC official site)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6313a4.htm
Note that this paper is published under the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Title: New CDC study finds dramatic increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison centers [Press Release]
(CDC official site)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0403-e-cigarette-poison.html

Here are some significant quotes, in some cases these come from media stories (which I haven't credited, because the stories contribute little other than minor conjunctive verbiage. In some cases I've added boldface and italics:

"This report raises another red flag about e-cigarettes - the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes can be hazardous," CDC Director Dr Tom Frieden said in a statement. "Use of these products is skyrocketing, and these poisonings will continue."
There's tbe headline. "Skyrocketing" - c.f. the "Wild West."

"The most recent National Youth tobacco Survey showed e-cigarette use is growing fast, and now this report shows e-cigarette related poisonings are also increasing rapidly," said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., Director of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "Health care providers, e-cigarette companies and distributors, and the general public need to be aware of this potential health risk from e-cigarettes."
From a "messaging" standpoint, what's esential to realize is that each of these issues involve children and e-cigarettes, therefore the public ties them together.

"The time has come to start thinking about what we can do to keep this from turning into an even worse public health problem," said Dr. McAfee. He added that many people are not aware that liquid nicotine is toxic. "We need to make sure we can avert the possibility of an unintended death from nicotine poisoning," he said.

McAfee noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to propose regulations for e-cigarettes. He added that he hopes these regulations will include how the product is packaged, including childproof caps and warning labels.

"These things can be hardwired into these products, rather than being left to the whim of the manufacturer," he said.

"We have not had an unintentional poisoning death from e-cigarettes yet in the United States that we know of, but the potential is there given the amount of concentrated nicotine in these solutions -- it would not take a lot for a child death to occur," McAfee noted.

Frieden said e-cigarette liquids were "a threat to small children" "And they come in candy and fruit flavors that are appealing to children."

"The rise in the numbers of e-cigs related calls to poison centers leads us to view this as a major public health concern," said report author Dr. Kevin Chatham-Stephen, a pediatrician and an epidemiologist with the CDC.

He said that though e-cigs comprise less than 2 percent of all tobacco-related sales, they now account for more than 40 percent of poison center calls. More than half of the calls involved children younger than 5 years old. "This is a very dramatic finding," Chatham-Stephen said.

Note also that the analysis of the data as well as the entire press release link tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the mind of the public. In other words - both are "cigarettes" and must be compared in every sense. Therefore all the fear, social stigma, and personal tragedy associated with tobacco cigarette smoking's health consequences must also be associated with e-cigarettes.


***

2) "SKEPTICAL" COVERAGE - CDC POISON CONTROL CALL CENTER STORIES

There were very few stories that expressed even the slightest degree of skepticism about the CDC's media blitz:

Title: E-cigarettes cause spike in calls to poison hotlines, CDC says
(Newark NJ US local paper) http://www.nj
.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/cdc_warns_e-cigarettes_cause_spike_in_calls_to_poison_hotlines.html
Story quotes Steven Marcus, Executive Director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System who points out that toothpaste gets more calls, and we even find this:
"Marcus said the benefit of people using e-cigarettes to wean themselves from tobacco cigarettes gave them a health benefit. That benefit should be taken into consideration when weighing the slight risk of poisoning."

Title: Are we really facing an e-cigarette epidemic?
(US Nat'l news site) http://theweek
.com/article/index/259372/speedreads-are-we-really-facing-an-e-cigarette-epidemic

Title: CDC Hypes 'Dramatic Increase' in Nicotine-Guzzling Children
(Jacob Sullum) http://reason
.com/blog/2014/04/03/cdc-hypes-dramatic-increase-in-nicotine

Title: E-cigarettes cause spike in calls to poison hotlines, CDC says
(Newark NJ US local paper) http://www.nj
.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/cdc_warns_e-cigarettes_cause_spike_in_calls_to_poison_hotlines.html
Story quotes Steven Marcus, Executive Director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System who points out that toothpaste gets more calls, and we even find this:
"Marcus said the benefit of people using e-cigarettes to wean themselves from tobacco cigarettes gave them a health benefit. That benefit should be taken into consideration when weighing the slight risk of poisoning."


***

3) "NOTEWORTHY" COVERAGE - CDC POISON CONTROL CALL CENTER STORIES

Here are pieces that I think are significant for some reason, but which don't fall into the other categories (i.e. they're not "hit jobs" nor "skeptical," nor are they sourced from sites of known vaping opponents).

Title: Poison Control Center Calls Increasing Because Of E-Cigarettes
(Pittsburgh PA US CBS affiliate) http://pittsburgh.cbslocal
.com/2014/04/03/poison-control-center-calls-increasing-because-of-e-cigarettes/
I almost put this one into the hit jobs section due to this one little gem of a quote, which will doubtless crop up again:
"'It works in many ways like a nerve gas,' [Pittsburgh Poison Control Center Director] Dr. Lynch says. 'As little as a teaspoon can be deadly.' [boldface added]"
However in other respects, this article is (relatively) tame.

Title: E-cigs' liquid nicotine causing poisonings
(US Nat'l News TV network) http://www.cnn
.com/2014/04/03/health/ecigs-nicotine-poisoning/
Fairly balanced, contains this unexpected remark:

"'Responsibly marketed and properly regulated, it is possible that e-cigarettes could benefit public health if they help significantly reduce the number of people who use conventional cigarettes and die of tobacco-related disease,' said Matthew Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a statement. 'But in the absence of FDA oversight, the easy availability of nicotine in uncontrolled quantities, packaging and flavors and marketing that appeals to youth raises serious concerns.' [para breaks omitted, boldface added]

Title: Spike in US poison calls over e-cigarettes
(Reuters/France [AFP]) http://www.globalpost
.com/dispatch/news/afp/140403/spike-us-poison-calls-over-e-cigarettes
http://lifestyle.inquirer
.net/156026/spike-in-us-poison-calls-from-e-cigarettes
Incorrectly says: "There are also no restrictions on sale to minors, among whom use of the devices, often called vaping, is on the rise." (This occurs in a context in which federal rules are being discussed, so that's probably what AFP meant.)

Title: Utah, nation see rapid rise in e-cigarette poisonings
(SLC UT US local paper) http://www.sltrib
.com/sltrib/news/57770988-78/cigarette-poisonings-calls-poison.html.csp
Some local content. I expected much worse from the SLC Trib. Still waiting for Ogden's Standard-Examiner, which will likely be ugly.

Title: CDC report highlights poisoning risk from liquid nicotine in e-cigs
(Winston-Salem NC US local paper) http://www.journalnow
.com/news/local/cdc-report-highlights-poisoning-risk-from-liquid-nicotine-in-e/article_29d7a6f1-f8cf-5087-acd9-80290b92aab0.html
Quotes both Brad Rodu and Bill Godshall, however very little time is given to them, and their analysis isn't fleshed out. It's almost as if the writer was going through the motions. (On the other hand, very few other stories are even remotely skeptical.)
"Brad Rodu, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville and a smokeless-tobacco advocate, said he views the CDC report as 'another example of a relentless, orchestrated campaign to demonize e-cigarettes.' He said the CDC report does not put the poison risk into proper context. [...] Bill Godshall, executive director of SmokeFree Pennsylvania and a smoke-free tobacco advocate, said he is concerned the FDA may try to ban e-cigs in what he considers a 'misguided attempt to apply the quit-or-die approach to all tobacco products.' He said e-cigs have the potential to be a reduced-risk alternative to cigarettes. [para breaks omitted]"
It also discusses changes that R.J. Reynolds made to its site, regarding the Vuse (chances are that the writer doesn't have a clue in the world about the differences between tanks and cigAlikes, but then hardly any of the regulators and/or health professionals do, either).

Title: Nicotine in E-Cigarettes a Growing Public Health Threat, CDC Says
(Healthday - US Nat'l News service) http://www.philly
.com/philly/health/HealthDay686504_20140403_Nicotine_in_E-Cigarettes_a_Growing_Public_Health_Threat__CDC_Says.html
Liquid Nicotine in E-Cigarettes Rising Cause of Poisonings: CDC http://www.philly
.com/philly/health/topics/HealthDay686504_20140403_Liquid_Nicotine_in_E-Cigarettes_Rising_Cause_of_Poisonings__CDC.html
This is noteworthy primarily because the writer goes out of the way to quote so extensively from the CDC's spokespeople [see above for quotes]. (And yes, there really are two identical stories from Healthday on this web site with different titles and different URLs.)

Title: E-cigarettes linked to spike in liquid nicotine poisonings
(Denver CO US fox affiliate) http://kdvr
.com/2014/04/04/e-cigarettes-linked-to-spike-in-liquid-nicotine-poisonings-2/
What's odd about this story is that it only refers to the CDC report once, by mentioning the #calls/month. It seems to be a curiously half-hearted attempt, but perhaps the writer is very sympathetic to the vaping cause.


***

4) VAPING OPPONENTS' COVERAGE - CDC POISON CONTROL CALL CENTER STORIES

Title: Half of poison center calls on e-cigarette liquids involved children: CDC study
(AAP) http://aapnews.aappublications
.org/content/early/2014/04/03/aapnews.20140403-2

Title: CDC study shows rapid rise in e-cigarette-related calls to poison control centers
(AHA) http://blog.heart
.org/cdc-study-shows-rapid-rise-in-e-cigarette-related-calls-to-poison-control-centers/

Title: E-Cigarette Poisoning Cases on the Rise
(ALA's Web site - Press release) http://www.lung
.org/press-room/press-releases/tobacco-control/e-cigarette-poisoning-cases.html

Title: E-Cigarette Liquid Nicotine Poses Poison Risk
(ALA-funded web site) http://www.whackthepack
.com/2014/04/e-cigarette-liquid-nicotine-poses-poison-risk/

Title: Finding E-Liquids a ‘Threat to Small Children,’ CDC Reports Steady Rise in Poison Center Calls About Liquid Nicotine and E-Cigarette Products
(CFTFK's web site - statement of Matt Meyers) http://www.tobaccofreekids
.org/press_releases/post/2014_04_03_ecigarettes

Title: CDC study finds dramatic increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison centers
(questionable medical news site) http://www.news-medical
.net/news/20140404/CDC-study-finds-dramatic-increase-in-e-cigarette-related-calls-to-poison-centers.aspx
Verbatim copy of above


***

5) "HIT JOBS" - CDC POISON CONTROL CALL CENTER STORIES

For a story to meet this definition of "hit job," it has to have more than a misleading title that conflates calls to poison centers with adverse results and/or repeat what the CDC already said in its press release (etc.) as "fact." The additional step that all these stories take is to add gratuitous anti-vaping analysis, especially by incorporating references to Dutra & Glantz (the minor gateway-to-tobacco argument), or Grana et al. (vaping "doesn't help smokers quit").

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/e-cigarette-poisonings-on-the-rise-cdc/
(US mat'l news network) http://www.cbsnews
.com/news/e-cigarette-poisonings-on-the-rise-cdc/
Goes out of its way to accuse the vaping industry of marketing vaping for cessation purposes, and links the reader to the horrid "CBS This Morning" segment reviewed in this space on 4/1 (this horrid video transmits 11 lies in 132 seconds: http://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=NWJKbiw5MP8

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: In the Hands of Babes, E-Cigarettes Can Be Deadly
Title: In Children’s Hands, E-Cigarettes Can Be Deadly [alternate title]
(US Nat'l news mag.) http://time
.com/47754/in-the-hands-of-babes-e-cigarettes-can-be-deadly/
Puts together the three memes:
a) small children being poisoned in droves;
b) BT hooking teens on tobacco by selling PVs with deceptive advertising and kid-friendly flavoring like cotton candy and gummy bears and Cap'n crunch etc.
c) vaping leads to more tobacco cigarette smoking among adults who already smoke

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: Calls to poison centers about e-cigarettes have surged
(US nat'l paper) http://www.washingtonpost
.com/national/health-science/calls-to-poison-centers-about-e-cigarettes-have-surged/2014/04/03/f2751a3e-bb3a-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html
AAP is - of course - another rabidly anti-vaping org, funded with tax dollars:
"'We're tremendously concerned,' James Perrin, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in an interview. 'This stuff is incredibly toxic, and it's also not regulated in any way ... The public is really remarkably unaware of the serious dangers of this.'
[...]
That fight, which shows no signs of being resolved in the short term, overlooks what health professionals say is an obvious danger made clear by Thursday's CDC numbers: Liquid nicotine, which is heated to create e-cigarette vapors, is a highly toxic substance that's readily available on store shelves in flavors as varied as bubble gum, chocolate mint and cherry.[para breaks omitted, boldface added]"

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: CDC: E-cigarettes an emerging health concern
(Atlanta GA US Cox radio affiliate) http://www.wsbradio
.com/news/news/cdc-e-cigarettes-emerging-health-concern/nfRXT/
"Dr. Gaylord Lopez with Georgia poison center says, 'We are really scared because there is a highly potent poison and toxin in this stuff and we need to be worried.' He says more than half of the calls they get involve children and many are under the age of five. [para breaks omitted, boldface added]

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: E-cig smokers should be aware of danger to children, pets
http://m.chronicle
.augusta.com/news/health/2014-04-03/e-cigs-nicotine-prompt-rise-poison-calls
Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the director of the Georgia Poison Center:
"'Depending on the concentration of nicotine, as little as a quarter of a teaspoonful is probably enough to send the kid into the emergency room,' he said. But it might also reflect a lack of awareness of the potency of the liquid nicotine, which is a toxin, he said. By weight, nicotine is three times more lethal than arsenic, Lopez said. [boldface added, para break omitted]"

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: CDC Study Finds Huge Increase of E-Cigarette Poisonings, Especially Among Children Under 5
(US Nat'l News site) http://www.thedailybeast
.com/articles/2014/04/03/cdc-study-finds-huge-increase-of-e-cigarette-poisonings-especially-among-children-under-5.html
From the first line of the second paragraph: "A 'healthier' solution to cigarettes may be just the opposite." it becomes evident that this author has an anti-vaping message. She describes the recent OK case, and another case from FL with undisguised relish.

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: E-Cigarette Poisonings Skyrocket, Mostly in Kids
(US Nat'l News TV network) http://www.nbcnews
.com/health/health-news/e-cigarette-poisonings-skyrocket-mostly-kids-n70961
Title: Poison in your pocket
(Springfield MA NBC/CNN affiliate) http://wwlp
.com/2014/04/03/poison-in-your-pocket/
This mixes in pseudo-facts from the NYT "poising by the barrel" article, implying that 10% nic. is sold to ordinary vapers without child protection, and also repeats many of the more alarmist quotes from the NYT piece, such as the "even a teaspoon can kill a small child" claim.

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: E-cigarettes leading to increased nicotine poisoning, CDC says
(ind. US politics web 'zine) http://www.statecolumn
.com/2014/04/e-cigarettes-leading-to-increased-nicotine-poisoning-cdc-says/
Uncritically cite the Grana et al. cessation letter.

{Comments posted to page containing this story, &/or e-mail to Editor would be helpful.}
Title: Poisoning From E-Cigarettes Gives Lawmakers Added Ammunition
Children particularly vulnerable to e-cigarette poisoning (US mkt'g trade 'zine) http://www.adweek
.com/news/advertising-branding/poisoning-e-cigarettes-gives-lawmakers-added-ammunition-156757
As with others, this one moves between the poisoning cases to marketing seamlessly:
"Children are particularly vulnerable the CDC, found. 'E-cigarette liquids as currently sold are a threat to small children because they are not required to be childproof, and they come in candy and fruit flavors that are appealing to children,' said Frieden.
[next para]
Several lawmakers in both chambers have introduced legislation that that would restrict the marketing of e-cigarettes and prohibit the targeting children and teens."
(See how that happened? First we started with small children. And then presto the subject is teens. After all, children are children.


***

6) POISON STORIES THAT PRECEEDED THE RECENT CDC MEDIA BLITZ

I'd been collecting poison stories from the steady drip-drip-drip of various reports from state health departments and poison control call centers for some time. On the 31st of March, the American Association of Poison Control Centers released its data, with relatively little impact. Even a couple of video pieces featuring Ren Gaulrapp, the Oklahoma woman whose 4-yr.-old spent a day vomiting last year - and who almost appeared to be looking for a book deal - didn't seem to have much impact.

With all the suddenness of an unexpected thunderclap, yesterday at 1pm, the CDC released its report and press release. Here are a few little "(poison) story pools" that were backed up downstream, before the dam broke:

Title: Northern New England poison reports due to e-cigarette liquid nicotine
(Concord MA US local paper) http://www.concordmonitor
.com/news/11338064-95/northern-new-england-poison-reports-due-to-e-cigarette-liquid-nicotine
This must have been published literally an hour or two before the CDC story came out. Lists a minuscule number of cases from New England, and says very little about the American ...'n of Poison Control Centers press release.

Title: Liquid Nicotine in E-Cigarettes Prompts Poisoning Concerns
(Lansing MI NBC affiliate) http://www.wilx
.com/news/headlines/Liquid-Nicotine-in-E-Cigarettes-Prompts-Poisoning-Concerns-253667251.html
A fairly mild story about the American Assn' of Poison Control Centers press release, features owner of local vape shop.

Title: Ala. poison control says e-cigarette liquid poisonings are on the rise [pre-CDC story]
(Roanoke, VA US NBC affiliate) http://www.wsls
.com/story/25135404/ala-poison-control-says-e-cigarette-liquid-poisonings-are-on-the-rise
[Regarding a press released on 4/1 by the AL statewide poison control call center:]

"According to Slattery, in the Alabama center handled 23 cases between 2010 and 2013. In just the first three months of 2014, they already had more than 20. 'Almost all of them have come to an emergency department, because if they're symptomatic we have to monitor them,' she said. The majority of cases are kids who got their hands on a bottle, got some on their skin or tasted it. Slattery says the liquid's high concentration of nicotine is what makes it so dangerous. 'We're seeing increased heart rate, increased blood pressure,' she said. In extreme cases, it can lead to problems with the nervous system. 'Then you might become drowsy, and result in a coma, and can result in a seizure,' Slattery said. For adults who handle liquid nicotine, Slattery recommends caution by locking up refill bottles and keeping e-cigarettes out of the reach of children. [para breaks omitted, boldface added]

Title: Poison control centers worried about liquid nicotine exposure [AL poison center press release story]
(Portland OR US fox affiliate) http://www.kptv
.com/story/25138015/poison-control-centers-worried-about-liquid-nicotine-exposure
"'First you're going to feel alert and weak and then agitated, then confused. Then you might become drowsy and result in a coma, and can result in a seizure. So these are all the affects [sic] nicotine has on the brain,' said Ann Satterly, the director of the local poison control center."

Title: Health officials nationwide seeing a rise in nicotine poisoning as e-cigarettes become more popular [TX poison center press release story]
(Texoma TX US US CBS affiliate) http://www.kxii
.com/home/headlines/As-e-cigarettes-become-more-popular-health-officials-report-more-cases-of-nicotine-poisoning-253492441.html?ref=441
" According to the Texas Poison Control Network, there have been 175 reported cases of liquid nicotine ingestion from 2009-2014 in Texas. Officials say many of the reported cases were seen in young children. Dr. Al Cardenas says the smaller you are, the more harmful it can be. 'The dose even a teaspoon or a tablespoon of the liquid, if ingested, could have severe side effects based on the weight of the child as opposed to an adult who may be able to tolerate those side effects better,' Cardenas said. [para breaks omitted, boldface added]"
[However no reports of serious injury came out in the TX press release.

Title: Liquid nicotine dangers in e-cigarettes
(Springfield MO US Shultz/ABC affiliate) http://www.kspr
.com/news/local/liquid-nicotine-dangers-in-ecigarettes/21051620_25274516
"The Missouri Poison Center says there have been 14 cases in the state so far this year of children becoming sick due to ingesting liquid nicotine. The cases of children being poisoned across the nation has increased by more than 300 percent since 2012. [para break omitted]"

Title: 21 Arkansas children ingested liquid nicotine from E-Cigarettes
(Little Rock AR US ABC affiliate) http://www.katv
.com/story/25134045/21-arkansas-children-ingested-liquid-nicotine-from-e-cigarettes
[Howell Foster, director of the Arkansas Poison Control Center] says there has been one very serious case of a child ingesting the liquid. 'The child accessed the product from a night stand, did it hours before. He had multiple episodes of vomiting, began to have a decreased level of mentation. They brought him in and he ended up spending the night in the intensive care unit,' Howell said. [para break omitted]"

Title: Increase In E-Cigarette Poisonings
(Sioux SD US ind. radio station) http://www.keloland
.com/newsdetail.cfm/increase-in-e-cigarette-poisonings/?id=162280
[This appears to have been written appropros of the MN poison control center's press release the previous week.
"In Minnesota the number of e-cigarette poisoning calls has also increased. In 2012, the poison center received five reports of children swallowing or inhaling the liquid or getting it in their eyes. Last year, that number jumped to 50."

Title: Oklahoma child falls sick after drinking E-cig juice
(Houston TX TV and newspaper amalgam site) http://newsfixnow
.com/2014/03/28/oklahoma-child-falls-sick-after-drinking-e-cig-juice/
Very brief report on the OK 4-y.o., whose mother is apparently looking for a book deal [not really, but she seemed rather proud of it on a video (see next story).

Title: Child poisoned after ingesting liquid nicotine [OK 4-yr.-old]
(CNN) http://www.wistv
.com/story/25075000/child-poisoned-after-ingesting-liquid-nicotine
This 3/31 piece actually didn't get a lot of traction - even with CNN - until the other states' poison control centers started doing their press releases later that day. Now that the CDC has come forward with its "study," we're seeing this referenced around the country.
"The number of kids getting their hands on liquid nicotine used to refill e-cigarettes and being rushed to the emergency room grows each year. Ren Gaulrapp's son was one of them. 'We hear a little noise, come in and he has taken the lid off of all of them and has this liquid everywhere,' she said. 'He's got it all over him. He`s been eating it. The liquid itself is very sweet. There`s not really anything in it in the lower nicotine levels that are going to discourage a child from wanting to play in them.' He vomited all day and then suffered painful withdrawal symptoms. [para breaks omitted]"

Title: Numbers of poisonings due to e-cigarettes is climbing [Pittsburgh poison center]
(Pittsburgh PA US local paper) http://www.gosanangelo
.com/news/2014/apr/01/numbers-poisonings-due-e-cigarettes-climbing/
This 4/1 piece is the only one that I've seen which was written as a result of a (?) press release by the American Association of Poison Control Call Centers (which I also can't locate). There's a gratuitous reference to the CDC's National Youth Tobacco Survey (i.e. the minor junk.)

Title: State poison center warns of nicotine liquid used in E-cigarettes [SC poison center press release]
(Evansville IN US NBC affiliate) http://www.14news
.com/story/25116672/state-poison-center-warns-of-nicotine-liquid-used-in-e-cigarettes
"The Palmetto Poison Center [in South Carolina] issued an alert Monday, warning of the dangers of the bottles of liquid nicotine that are used to refill the electronic cigarettes. 'The concerning factor with the liquid is the concentration of nicotine varies depending on the manufacturer,' reads a statement from the Palmetto Poison Center. 'Liquid refills may contain high amounts of nicotine that if ingested or absorbed by the skin can cause illness. Nicotine can cause vomiting, and even seizures in large amounts.' 'Just within South Carolina, the Palmetto Poison Center's data shows a 250% increase in the number of children and adults that have been exposed to these products from 2012 to 2013,' said the statement from the center. 'Due to the products often being brightly colored and highly fragranced [sic] with candy flavors of bubble gum, chocolate, etc, (sic) they can be very appealing children.' [para breaks omitted"

Title: Alert Issued Regarding Electronic Cigarette Liquids [Re: SC press release]
(Columbia SC US CBS affiliate) http://www.wltx
.com/story/news/2014/03/31/alert-issued-regarding-electronic-cigarettes-liquid/7112507/
This is only the second ref. that I've found to the American ...'n of Poison Control Call Centers' report:
"Nationally, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that as of March 24th of this year, 651 e-cigarette or liquid nicotine-related exposures were reported."

Title: Kids Mistaking Liquid Nicotine For Candy
(Columbia SC US CBS affiliate) http://www.wltx
.com/story/news/local/2014/04/02/kids-liquid-nicotine-candy/7226167/
I couldn't make any sense out of this story, which was dated just two days after the previous one, and which was apparently written for the same reason (to cover the SC poison control center press release. It also seems to contain very little information of any kind.

Title: Palmetto Poison Center warns of nicotine bottle hazards with e-cigarettes
(Hilton Head SC US local paper) http://www.islandpacket
.com/2014/04/01/3035129/palmetto-poison-center-warns-of.html
Nothing remarkable here.

Title: Florida Poison Control warns of e-cig liquid refills posing risk to children
Title: Web Extra: E-Cigarette liquid poses risks to children
(Orlando FL US CBS affiliate) http://www.clickorlando
.com/news/florida-poison-control-warns-of-ecig-liquid-refills-posing-risk-to-children/25259902
http://www.clickorlando
.com/news/web-extra-ecigarette-liquid-poses-risks-to-children/25249498
First piece has a new clip of Ren Gaulrapp, the OK woman that I've never seen before. Apparently the case is a year old. Once again, she seems to be enjoying her newfound national news exposure. This also references that American Association of Poison Control Centers press release. Curiously, the story also notes that fires started by children playing with matches and lighters are way down. I've only seen this point made once before.
Second link is apparently a shorter precursor.

Title: Numbers of poisonings because of e-cigarettes is climbing
(Carbondale IL US local paper) http://thesouthern.com/print-specific/shorts/numbers-of-poisonings-because-of-e-cigarettes-is-climbing/article_cf392723-5cdd-5e12-bad4-441130da8e43
.html
Another story on the American Assn of Poison Control Centers press release.

Title: E-Cigarette Liquid Nicotine Poses Poison Risk For Children [CDC national]
(Indianapolis IN ind. radio) http://www.wbiw
.com/state/archive/2014/03/e-cigarette-liquid-nicotine-poses-poison-risk-for-children.php Title: CDC: Kids Treated for Poison From Drinking E-Cig Liquid
http://www.wibc
.com/news/story.aspx?ID=2147333
This also refers to the CDC instead ot the American ...'n of Poison Control Centers.

Title: E-Cigarette Dangers
(Baltimore MD US fox affiliate) http://www.foxbaltimore
.com/news/features/morning/stories/ecigarette-dangers-983.shtml#.UznWQ85obfg
While the "substance abuse expert" praises vaping as an alternative to smoking, he clearly doesn't understand the difference between a cigAlike and a tankomizer. (He says that the reason for tankomizers is that "people are getting greedy." This doesn't reference any particular poison control center call center press release.

Title: Why Isn’t the FDA Regulating E-Cigarettes?
(some kind of for-profit site that seems to specialize in liberal causes) http://www.care2
.com/causes/why-isnt-the-fda-regulating-e-cigarettes.html
Along with the NYT "poison by the barrel" story, this piece also cites NBC's Today Show as a source (!) and repeats the FDA '09 diethelyne glocol junk which was featured on that now-infamous segment. It also gratuitously mixes in the minor-gateway-to-tobacco meme, but the writer can do little more than quote wholesale from other web sources such as WebMD.

Title: State poison center warns of nicotine liquid used in E-cigarettes [SC poison control center press release]
(Myrtle Beach SC US NBC affiliate) http://www.wmbfnews
.com/story/25116672/state-poison-center-warns-of-nicotine-liquid-used-in-e-cigarettes
Essentially Cut-and-pasted from the press release.

Title: New concerns over e-cigarette liquid [video report re: Georgia press release]
(Atlanta GA Cox affiliate) http://www.wsbtv
.com/videos/news/new-concerns-over-e-cigarette-liquid/vCWX23/
Dr. Lopez of the GA poison control center:
"just a few drops can cause someoone to go the hospital, and a few more drops after that can even be lethal" ... the "symptoms are very dramatic"
Cites American Assn of Poison Center calls.
Implies that there's no age limit for purchases, but apparently they're not aware that the GA's HB 251 is ready for Gov. Deal's signature.


***

6) "GENERIC" CDC POISON CONTROL CALL CENTER STORIES

By a "generic" story, I mean one that simply repeats/recapitulates what the CDC said, even if the writer ceases to be objective and explains the CDC's position in their own words, as if the CDC's position were universally accepted as fact.

Title: E-Cigarette Liquid Nicotine Poisons Children: FDA Examines New Regulations
(NYC-based food 'industry' site directed towards consumers?) http://www.foodworldnews
.com/articles/5581/20140404/e-cigarette-liquid-nicotine-poisons-children-fda-examines-new-regulations.htm

Title: New CDC study shows huge spike in poison center calls involving kids and e-cigarettes
(McClatchy new service) http://www.sacbee
.com/2014/04/03/6290416/new-cdc-study-shows-huge-spike.html

Title: Kids sickened by ingesting nicotine from e-cigarettes
(Omaha NE US local paper) http://www.omaha
.com/article/20140403/LIVEWELL01/140409476/1161

Title: E-cigarette Poisoning Increasing
(Altoona PA US CBS affiliate) http://www.wearecentralpa
.com/story/d/story/e-cigarette-poisoning-increasing/20054/7kjhGGm-tUOR4dHBIXcFkg

Title: Arkansas, nation see rise in children poisoned by ‘liquid nicotine’
(AK US news collection site) http://arkansasnews
.com/news/arkansas/arkansas-nation-see-rise-children-poisoned-liquid-nicotine

Title: The number of calls to poison centers involving e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine ose from one per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in Thursday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
(Athens GA US local paper) http://onlineathens
.com/breaking-news/2014-04-03/cdc-e-cigarette-poison-calls-surging

Title: Spike in US poison calls over e-cigarettes
(Pakistan news collection site) http://www.thenews
.com.pk/article-143433-Spike-in-US-poison-calls-over-e-cigarettes

Title: Electronic cigarettes can be dangerous, even if you don't smoke them
(LA CA US local paper) http://www.latimes
.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-e-cigarette-harms-cdc-20140403,0,7805625.story
This is surprisingly free of gratuitous attacks on vaping, especially given the LA Times' antipathy towards vaping.

Title: CDC: E-Cigarette Poison Center Calls on the Rise
(US Pharmacist trade 'zine) http://www.empr
.com/cdc-e-cigarette-poison-center-calls-on-the-rise/article/341254/

Title: E-Cigarette-Related Poison Center Calls Surge
(another US WebMD site for professionals) http://www.medscape
.com/viewarticle/823052
Despite WebMD's history of publishing hit job pieces on vaping, this one contains nothing outside of the original CDC press release and article.

Title: E-Cigarettes Causing Poisonings
(Memphis TN US consumer health site) http://www.newsonwellness
.com/2014/04/e-cigarettes-causing-poisonings/

Title: Flavored Liquid in E-Cigarettes Caused 214 Poising Accidents Since September, Victims Are Small Kids
(NYC-based New Tang [China] news service) http://www.ntd
.tv/en/news/us/20140403/122099-flavored-liquid-in-ecigarettes-caused-214-poising-accidents-since-september-victims-are-small-kids.html

Title: Liquid Nicotine in E-Cigarettes Prompts Poisoning Concerns
(Lansing MI US Fox affiliate) http://www.jrn
.com/fox47news/news/Liquid-Nicotine-in-E-Cigarettes-Prompts-Poisoning-Concerns-253749001.html
Has some local MI content

Title: Calls to U.S. poison centers involving e-cigarettes jump -CDC
(Reuters) http://www.reuters
.com/article/2014/04/03/usa-cigarettes-electronic-idUSL1N0MV1ED20140403
http://www.chicagotribune
.com/health/sns-rt-us-usa-cigarettes-electronic-20140403,0,3571281.story
http://wsau
.com/news/articles/2014/apr/03/calls-to-us-poison-centers-involving-e-cigarettes-jump-cdc/

Title: Poisoning from e-cigarettes on the rise
(US Nat'l news network) http://www.foxnews
.com/health/2014/04/04/poisoning-from-e-cigarettes-on-rise/

Title: Soaring numbers of people are being poisoned by e-cigarettes, doctors warn
(UK nat'l paper) http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/health/article-2596795/Soaring-numbers-people-poisoned-e-cigarettes-doctors-warn.html#ixzz2xvLMwVLt

Title: Federal health officials say e-liquid poisoning on the rise
(LV NV US ABC affiliate) http://www.jrn
.com/ktnv/now-trending/Federal-health-officials-say-e-liquid-poisoning-on-the-rise-253884641.html

Title: New CDC study shows huge spike in poison center calls involving kids and e-cigarettes
(KC KS US local paper) http://www.kansascity
.com/2014/04/03/4932805/new-cdc-study-shows-huge-spike.html

Title: CDC warns of new risk related to e-cigarettes
(Houston TX US ind. radio station)http://www.khou.com/news/health/CDC-warns-of-new-risk-related-to-e-cigarettes-253881771.html

Title: CDC reports rise in e- cigarette poisoning cases
(India nat'l news collection site) http://www.aninews
.in/newsdetail9/story162631/cdc-reports-rise-in-e-cigarette-poisoning-cases.html

Title: Report: Complaints of e-cigarette poisonings on the rise
(US nat'l news mag) http://www.newsday
.com/news/health/report-complaints-of-e-cigarette-poisonings-on-the-rise-1.7602474

Title: Health officials say nicotine poisoning caused by E-cigarettes increases
(Daytona Beach FL US ABC affiliate) http://www.wftv
.com/news/news/health-med-fit-science/health-officials-say-nicotine-poisoning-caused-e-c/nfRwJ/

Title: Nicotine in e-cigarettes a growing health concern
(S. Africa health news collection site) http://www.health24
.com/Lifestyle/Stop-smoking/News/Nicotine-in-e-cigarettes-a-growing-health-concern-20140404

Title: E-Cigarette Poisoning on the Rise, CDC Says
Title: CDC: 40% of poison control calls involve e-cigs [alternate title]
(US Nat'l News TV network) http://abcnews.go
.com/blogs/health/2014/04/03/e-cigarette-poisoning-is-on-the-rise-cdc-says/ http://www.theindychannel
.com/news/u-s-world/cdc-40-of-poison-control-calls-involve-e-cigs http://www.wggb
.com/2014/04/03/cdc-e-cigarette-poisoning-calls-on-the-rise/

Title: Poison Centers Report Massive Spike In Calls About E-Cigarettes
(US Nat'l News TV network) http://america.aljazeera
.com/articles/2014/4/3/cdc-massive-spikeinecigarettepoisoning.html

Title: New CDC study finds dramatic increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison center
(PR Newswire/US Newswire) http://www.cnbc
.com/id/101552721
http://www.kfvs12
.com/story/25155373/m/category/106766/radar-images
http://www.wthr
.com/story/25155373/new-cdc-study-finds-dramatic-increase-in-e-cigarette-related-calls-to-poison-centers

Title: Report: E-Cigarette Poisoning On The Rise
(Atlanta GA US CBS affiliate) http://atlanta.cbslocal
.com/2014/04/03/report-e-cigarette-poisoning-on-the-rise/

Title: CDC: Major Spike In E-Cigarette-Related Calls To Poison Hotlines
(San Diego CA US public radio) http://www.kpbs
.org/news/2014/apr/03/cdc-finds-major-spike-e-cigarette-related-calls-po/

Title: CDC: Calls to Poison Centers for E-Cigarette Exposure Up
(BP-funded "nonprofit" consumer health site) http://www.doctorslounge
.com/index.php/news/pb/45721

Title: New CDC Study Finds Dramatic Increase in E-Cigarette-Related Calls to Poison Centers
(Superior WI/Duluth MI NBC affiliate) http://www.northlandsnewscenter
.com/news/have-you-seen-this/253813131.html

Title: CDC Report on E-Cigarette Poisoning Increases Pressure for FDA’s Authority over the Products
(Long Island NY US ind. news amalgam site) http://www.longisland
.com/news/04-03-14/cdc-e-cigarette-poisoning-increases-fdas-authority-oversight.html

Title: CDC: Liquid component of e-cigarettes causes increase of poisonings
(Cincinnati OH US Fox affiliate) http://www.fox19
.com/story/25159955/cdc-liquid-component-of-e-cigarettes-causes-increase-of-poisonings

Title: CDC reports a sharp spike in e-cigarette poisonings over the past three years
(consumer tech. site which I suspect is MS-funded) http://www.techtimes
.com/articles/5186/20140403/cdc-reports-a-sharp-spike-in-e-cigarette-poisonings-over-the-past-three-years.htm

Title: CDC: Jump in Reports of Poisoning Tied to E-Cigarettes, Liquid Nicotine
http://www.abc6onyourside
.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wsyx_cdc-jump-reports-poisoning-tied-ecigarettes-liquid-nicotine-30315.shtml

***

7) MY TAKEAWAY: SUMMER'S COMING - IT'S "SHOW TIME!"

For those of you who may be interested, here are my own observations about the significance of the CDC report and press release. At the risk of being melodramatic, American vapers may look back on this day as a watershed event.

---

7) TAKEAWAYS PART C: A GOOD STORY, WITH AN ARISTOTELIAN "BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END" (I.E. A PERFECT 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY

In previous posts, I've detailed the development of the various "memes" which have become almost entirely accepted by the American regulators, politicians, opinion leaders, and the Public Health Community as a whole.

E-cigarettes have three principal effects on public health: they poison young children; they turn teens into tobacco smokers; and finally they encourage adult smokers to smoke more tobacco cigarettes (or at least do not discourage or reduce their tobacco cigarette smoking).

Therefore: e-cigarettes currently pose a much greater threat to public health than tobacco cigarettes.

This is no random collection of lies, it is in fact a finely-engineered, brilliantly-crafted, and carefully-choreographed messaging strategy.

1) This story affects the "beginning" of human life (small children who are poisoned), the middle of life (teens who start with vaping, and then become tobacco cigarette smokers), and the rest of life (adult smokers who smoke more, or who at least do not quit smoking).

2) This story itself had a "beginning" involving children: the introduction of the PCECAA on Jan 26th (Protecting Children from Electronic Cigarette Advertising Act), which was immediately followed by NYT story on vape pens and e-hookahs, and the release of the junk statistics contained in Dutra & Glantz.

3) The "middle" of the story was Grana et al.: e-cigarettes do not help adult tobacco cigarette smokers quit, therefore they are at best recreational - at worst, they keep adult tobacco cigarette smokers hooked.

4) Like all good stories, we end up where we started: with children. This is why the CDC press release (and many of the media stories) move seamlessly between the poison center calls, and the CDC results on teen use of e-cigarettes.

5) Remember what your English teacher told you about how to write a five-paragraph essay? Put your second-strongest point at the beginning (e-cigarettes hook teens on tobacco smoking), your weakest point in the middle (e-cigarettes keep adult tobacco cigarette smokers smoking instead of switching to vaping), and your strongest point at the end (helpless, innocent, needlessly-injured small children).

Frankly Your Correspondent has no idea what to call this. Is it mere "messaging?" Is it "architecture" or "engineering?" Can the elegance of the Antikythera, the beauty of Bach, or the simplicity of DNA's structure compete? (Okay, I exaggerate.)

But you gotta hand it to these folks. There was a great plan, everyone stayed on message, and they followed it thorugh to the end.

So-o, are "they" ready to act now? (And - who are "they," anyway?)

---

7) TAKEAWAYS PART B: IS THE FDA REALLY READY?

I've been saying for quite some time now that the FDA isn't the issue. It's not FDA action by itself that will be the problem - Congress could easily act in response to a request made by the Government Public Health Community at all levels (federal, state and local) speaking with one voice. (And as we've seen, non-governmental public health experts from MDs to toxicologists to academics in myriad fields are ready to support all aspects of a properly-selected agenda).

What is "the agenda?"

E-cigarettes must be eventually become (medical) cessation therapy. The current regulatory framework must be designed to move towards this objective in a series of steps. In particular, "patient controlled" - AKA "recreational" - use of vaping must be gradually dovetailed into (clinically monitored) therapeutic use: regardless of whether nicotine is involved.

---

7) TAKEAWAYS PART C: SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM REQUESTS TO CONGRESS

Some new evidence may be coming in before memorial day, i.e. the CDC's new survey of 20,000 children and the California state survey of 400,000 kids: see http://www.nytimes
.com/2014/03/05/business/e-cigarettes-under-aliases-elude-the-authorities.html

But as it stands, the three memes are well-enough accepted for the FDA, CDC, NIH, Surgeon General, and all US state and territorial health departments (possibly in tandem with many academics) to demand that Congress immediately pass legislation to take effect within some fairly brief period (for example, by the end of the calendar year):

1) Ban e-liquid that contains nicotine unless enclosed in childproof/tamper-proof sealed cartridges, which may only be refilled by the manufacturer. All empty cartridges must be returned/recycled. (In other words, if adults can directly access the liquid, then there's a danger that children can, too. Think of propane tanks.)

2) Ban all non-tobacco flavors (probably including menthol) and require that vapors carry a special odor that can be detected by bystandards in order to prevent minors from secretly vaping in the presence of adults who might otherwise prevent them from doing so. Tobacco flavors must be pre-approved by the FDA, which has the power to eliminate them (i.e. eventually replace them with unflavored).

3) Require F2F purchases for all devices capable of vaporizing e-liquid, and require that the age of purchase be increased to 21 for those devices - as well as all (non-electronic) tobacco products.

4) Permit the FDA to establish a form of expedited process in order to approve "cigAlikes" as cessation therapy, provided they meet certain standards (e.g. consistent delivery of nicotine, and electronic monitoring and control of patient consumption, as well as tamper proofing, etc.)

5) Establish a federal tax on all recreational use of liquid nicotine in some manner comparable in amount to the existing tax on tobacco cigarettes.

6) Clarify the role of state and local jurisdictions, by explicitly emplowering them to impose any forms of taxation or regulation upon all recreational electronic personal vaporizing devices - regardless of whether they contain nicotine - up to and including complete prohibition of their use, sale, or possession. In particular, state and local jurisdictions would be given the explicit power to define and impose their own (additonal) penalties for violation of their own regulations.

7) All state and local jurisdictions would be required to bring their statutes and ordinances in line with federal requirements (via mechanisms similar to the manner in which Congress required that the drinking age be raised to 21).

I'm not suggesting that Congress will necessarily immediately grant all these requests. But the pressure from opinion makers, politicians, and the virtually the entire American private and governmental scientific and public health establishment will make it very difficult for any politician to refuse.

"Step right up folks ... it's SHOW TIME!"

 

[darkcelestialillumination]

So they know it works to help people quit smoking but they're going to take it and make it so that it doesn't work. And everything goes back to how it was. Then they do the same to unhealthy food. They've already started. And then more and more. For money or for power/control.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

So they know it works to help people quit smoking but they're going to take it and make it so that it doesn't work. And everything goes back to how it was. Then they do the same to unhealthy food. They've already started. And then more and more. For money or for power/control.

While I agree with you, I think discussions about the underlying science/public health policy (or lack thereof) on this poison issue are perhaps missing the boat. This is just one of three interlocking narratives that are being established in order to justify "medicalizing" personal vaporizers. (I.e .moving them from the unregulated or loosely-regulated recreational environment to the therapeutic context).

The idea that end-users (or patients/drug addicts as they insist on viewing vapers) could be trusted to handle their own dosages of nicotine - as they do with say alcohol, caffeine, or processed sugar - is simply unacceptable to the medical/public health communities.

In nontrivial part this may be because of the history of combustible tobacco products. That's one of the reasons that their arguments are so logically and scientifically unpersuasive - they're still "fighting the last war" as it were. (However there are certainly other more venal reasons for the "war against non-therapeutic nicotine" - which is really a war against vaping.)

But for the moment ... let's put aside the question of whether the motives of the US medical and public health communities are more grounded in venality as opposed to a reflexive reaction to the concept of unregulated nicotine dosage administration, and ignore any discussion of sciecne and public health.

The fact remains that from a strictly messaging standpoint, it appears that they're winning over the policy makers. And at the end of the day, it's the views of policy makers which are going to matter most in the intermediate term.

When it came to a certain green leafy substance, the underlying reality of the science may have prevailed over the preconceived notions and/or financial incentives of the American medical and public health communities - but it took almost a half-century to get that result. Policy makers were against legalization based on myriad factors, such as an effective messaging campaign and the "otherness" of users. (By contrast, prohibitionists lost the battle over alcohol, because the users weren't perceived as "others.")

In our case, it might also take a good long time, because as far as I can tell - the prohibitionists (or should I call them the "medicalizationists") - are doing a very credible job of winning the messaging battle. The fact that we have exactly one politician in the US of quasi-national stature (Gov. Dayton of MN) is a pretty fair indicator of where we are. And even he's not exactly pro-vaping in the same way as the anti-vapers are opposed.

I stand behind my prediction that we are going to see major national movement in the US before memorial day (within the next 4-5 weeks) or at the latest shortly after veteran's day (early Sept).

They aren't going to sit on ther hands, now that they've built up so much momentum since the halcyon days of late January, when the public discourse was dominated by charger fires and car tires punctured by discarded cartridges.

When your opposition started piling injured babies on the podium, it's a good bet that they're ready to roll.

 

[rothenbj]

While I agree with you, I think discussions about the underlying science/public health policy (or lack thereof) on this poison issue are perhaps missing the boat. This is just one of three interlocking narratives that are being established in order to justify "medicalizing" personal vaporizers. (I.e .moving them from the unregulated or loosely-regulated recreational environment to the therapeutic context).

The idea that end-users (or patients/drug addicts as they insist on viewing vapers) could be trusted to handle their own dosages of nicotine - as they do with say alcohol, caffeine, or processed sugar - is simply unacceptable to the medical/public health communities.

In nontrivial part this may be because of the history of combustible tobacco products. That's one of the reasons that their arguments are so logically and scientifically unpersuasive - they're still "fighting the last war" as it were. (However there are certainly other more venal reasons for the "war against non-therapeutic nicotine" - which is really a war against vaping.)

But for the moment ... let's put aside the question of whether the motives of the US medical and public health communities are more grounded in venality as opposed to a reflexive reaction to the concept of unregulated nicotine dosage administration, and ignore any discussion of sciecne and public health.

The fact remains that from a strictly messaging standpoint, it appears that they're winning over the policy makers. And at the end of the day, it's the views of policy makers which are going to matter most in the intermediate term.

When it came to a certain green leafy substance, the underlying reality of the science may have prevailed over the preconceived notions and/or financial incentives of the American medical and public health communities - but it took almost a half-century to get that result. Policy makers were against legalization based on myriad factors, such as an effective messaging campaign and the "otherness" of users. (By contrast, prohibitionists lost the battle over alcohol, because the users weren't perceived as "others.")

In our case, it might also take a good long time, because as far as I can tell - the prohibitionists (or should I call them the "medicalizationists") - are doing a very credible job of winning the messaging battle. The fact that we have exactly one politician in the US of quasi-national stature (Gov. Dayton of MN) is a pretty fair indicator of where we are. And even he's not exactly pro-vaping in the same way as the anti-vapers are opposed.

I stand behind my prediction that we are going to see major national movement in the US before memorial day (within the next 4-5 weeks) or at the latest shortly after veteran's day (early Sept).

They aren't going to sit on ther hands, now that they've built up so much momentum since the halcyon days of late January, when the public discourse was dominated by charger fires and car tires punctured by discarded cartridges.

When your opposition started piling injured babies on the podium, it's a good bet that they're ready to roll.

I just hope the industry has built a war chest to combat any over regulation the FDA nay deem. I watched The Alamo last night (had never seen the remake). I feel like we're looking out over the wall and watching Santa Anna's troops surrounding us.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

I just hope the industry has built a war chest to combat any over regulation the FDA nay deem. I watched The Alamo last night (had never seen the remake). I feel like we're looking out over the wall and watching Santa Anna's troops surrounding us.

Agreed. But we need to be careful here about two things. First of all, what is "The Alamo?" (Or "Texas" if you will.) What is being "defended?" Because once that Q is answered, then the meaning of the term "industry" will become more precise.

Most ECF denizens and most vapers seem to think that the goal is to simply wipe out vaping. Ban all personal vaporizers, whether or not they contain nic. If so, then the term "industry" is easy enough to define - it's everybody from BV ("big vapor" such as NJOY) all the way down to your local mom-and-pop vape shop w/ a clean room in the back.

Personally, I don't buy it. I don't have a lot of evidence right now, but there are some interesting little hints floating around. Most reasonable MDs will say something to the effect that they'd like another tool in their arsenal (but MDs aren't allowed to "prescribe" something for a "therapeutic purpose" if it's an unapproved drug delivery system of any kind: they could "prescribe" music or even acupuncture, but not a personal vaporizer). This is the irony of the US system - the chances that something might save a patient's life could be 99.999%. But if it's not "approved therapy" then the MD will not recommend it, in fact the MD is supposed to recommend against it (under possible penalty of malpractice litigation or even loss of license). Forget the "Hypocratic" oath - that's not how the American system works.

Yet people like Matt Myers of CFTFK said this (just 2 days ago - link is in the OP):

Responsibly marketed and properly regulated, it is possible that e-cigarettes could benefit public health if they help significantly reduce the number of people who use conventional cigarettes and die of tobacco-related disease. But in the absence of FDA oversight, the easy availability of nicotine in uncontrolled quantities, packaging and flavors and marketing that appeals to youth raises serious concerns.

Two larger UK firms have already applied in the UK for medical therapy status (and that's what the EU TPD was originally intended to do - the provision allowing recreational use was a last-minute compromise).

In fact every single one of the arguments against vaping would go away if the personal vaporizer was treated in the same way as methadone.

1) No problem with little kids getting poisoned, because the device would be tamperproof. (And even if they did, we wouldn't hear about it, just as we rarely hear about cases involving unauthorized access to prescription drugs: those are parenting/consumer errors, not the fault of the therapy or the maufacturer).

2) No problem with hooking teens on tobacco smoking - because by definition this can never occur with an "approved therapy."

3) Whether or not "medical vaping" helps smokers quit will become irrelevant. It's the smoker's fault if the device is too expensive, too unappealing, etc.

***

Now Bill G. and others correctly argue that the FDA would have to tie itself up in knots in order to apply "substantial equivalence" to recreational vaping. In other words, regulating vaping as a "tobacco product" will be effectively tantamount to an outright ban.

Perhaps that could be the objective. Maybe Glantz, Zeller, Freiden, and all their ilk would be happier then.

Yet, it's awkward. Why not ask Congress for some kind of special transitional jurisdiction, and a process that will can co-opt BT and BV (big vapor) as players? Promise them a nice fat moneybag once a special "fast track" approval system is created for "medical PVs."

Problem for BP? I doubt it: BP has the expertise to navigate through the approval process, and both clinicians and patients already trust the big names in BP.

So our first prescribed PV will be a cigAlike made by Glaxo-Lorillard. Or Altria-Pfizer. As with a nic inhaler, it will be available by prescription only. Dosage will be monitored, etc. (Nic inhalers are only "indicated" for six months.I hear rumors that many patients use them longer, because their physicians allow it.)

Of course anything that BP comes up with in tandem with BT will likely be ineffective and unappealing. But that's okay. BT will continue to sell traditional tobacco cigarettes, vaping-as-we-know-it will be shut down, and the small number of larger players ("big vapor") will have been bought out by the other, deep-pocketed firms.

***

Back to "The Alamo."

Let's pretend that we're putting on a play. Who gets to play which role?

Well, if Altria (formerly PMI) or Lorrilard asks to play the role of Travis, the director refuses.

Lorillard (Blu) and Altria (Green Smoke) are now serving side-by-side in Santa Anna's forces - with Glaxo and Pfizer, all under the command of Field Marshals Glantz, Zeller, and Frieden.

***

Now ... who's left on the "side" of vapers? Who's actually defending "The Alamo?"

The little vape shops, the US online distributors,and maybe the manufacturers of tankos and mechanical MODs and RDAs and so forth. Not even JC or Halo: they're supplying the new BP-plus-BT consortiums with "FDA approved" nic. juice.

Do they have a "war chest?" Not that I know of, after all - there are no "deep pockets" to speak of. Could there be any organized effort? Nope: I'd say that the high-profile manufacturer's ...'ns (with the likely exception of AEMSA) are basicaly there to serve BV.

***

So I think Bonnie Herzog and Dr. Siegel are both wrong. Ten years from now, the "typewriter" will still be around - it's the "computer" that will go the way of Los Angeles' 1930s cable car system. BT will still be selling combustible ciggies, because the FDA-approved "safe and effective" PV-cigAlikes will be just as unattactive, unappealing and ineffective as everything else BP does. (One would think they could actually find the money to hire a smoker, but the fact that none of them seem to have even heard of nic-free vaping shows just how completely ignorant they really are.)

Methinks anyone expecting much melodrama will be disapointed. The Congressional hearings might have a couple of days of exciting testimony from Audrey Silk, and hopefully a few others like Carl, Bill, Gary and so forth.

But I'd be surprised if "recreational" vaping-as-we-know-it gets even a single vote in either chamber.

***

Instead of "The Alamo," ... consider the Mar_juan_ Tax Act of 1937, with Anslinger being the equivalent of Glantz, Freiden and Zeller. According to Wikipedia, there were five days of hearings. I'm not sure whether any member of Congress voted against it.

So if that's the right analogy, and history repeats itself exactly (which of course it never does), recreational vaping supplies and equipment will be legally available for sale in the U.S. once again, starting approximately 75 years from now - circa 2090.

***

Incidently, at the risk of ticking some folks off, I'd like to point out that this scenario isn't necessarily inevitable. There are 3M vapers in the US. If we were as organized as gun owners, we might have a chance to stop this. But we're not. Most of us would rather go to vape meets, chase clouds, play with RDAs or generally talk about vaping. Perhaps someday the question of whether anti-vaping prohibitionism is more like Nazism or Stalinism will be settled. Or the argument between Provari owners and the rest of APV adherents will reach some kind of consensus. Or we'll all decide to drip as opposed to use tanks. Etc., etc.

I predict that none of that stuff will matter in a year, except to a few historians.

The story of The Alamo ended with the proverbial bang. Vaping will go out with a wimper.

 

[Kent C]

I'll go out on a limb..... I think the tide is turning... (doesn't mean it is :- )

 

[aikanae1]

and then BV can add whatever they want to their formulations of eliquid in secret.

 

[rothenbj]

If Matt Myers repeats history, he's already been involved with negotiations between himself BT and the FDA to define a product that will benefit himself and the tobacco industry to the detriment of all else. A tobacco flavored, sealed cartridge e cig will not make the impact that can be expected from the current industry. I for one will phase out vaping as supplies fade. Many will return to smoking and many more will never have the opportunity to learn of the benefits.

If this industry has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, a good chunk of those profits are not part of the revolution as they've been bought out by BT. However, there should be money to fight oppressive regulation in the courts. This is an offshoot of a legal product with little doubt that it is much safer. A court battle needs to be formulated around that premise.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

If Matt Myers repeats history, he's already been involved with negotiations between himself BT and the FDA to define a product that will benefit himself and the tobacco industry to the detriment of all else.

I think BP wants a seat at the table. I was just reading some stuff out of the UK re: the proposed vaping=smoking indoor/outdoor Wales ban.

A tobacco flavored, sealed cartridge e cig will not make the impact that can be expected from the current industry.

And who will care about that? No one important.

Many will return to smoking and many more will never have the opportunity to learn of the benefits.

Collateral damage, as far as the big players are concerned. And while I hate to describe virtually every MD that way, I picked up the term "dirtball" from a friend of mine who is an MD. Apparently that's how they think of drug addicts. Which is precisely what smokers are. (As well as vapers, even if they don't use nicotine.) Hard drug addition = tobacco cigarette smoking = vaping with nicotine = doing anything that "looks like smoking." It will be interesting to see what US MDs think of people who are using "unregulated" PVs after "medicalization." Will we still be essentially indistinguishable from injected opiate addicts in their eyes, even if the "drug" is VG + flavoring? I'll bet "yes."

If this industry has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, a good chunk of those profits are not part of the revolution as they've been bought out by BT. However, there should be money to fight oppressive regulation in the courts. This is an offshoot of a legal product with little doubt that it is much safer. A court battle needs to be formulated around that premise.

I don't know who's going to put up the money for this kind of litigation. Some mom-and-pop vape store, or an association of same? Don't bet on it. You won't see NJOY doing that, they'll be owned by BT quite soon.

Besides, there is no "constitutional right" to e-liquid, even 0% (although it's rather difficult to ban its constituents).

And there most certainly isn't a "constitutional right" to sell or possess "unathorized nicotine paraphernalia." It will be regarded no differently than the sale or posession of any other unapproved medical device.

Congress could do all of this in a heartbeat. The courts will only step in if the statute is badly-drafted - and then only after someone is tried and convicted. We won't hear a peep of protest from polticians, the mainstream media, and most certainly not the medical or public health establishments.

A few twentysomething vapers mightl blow some clouds in protest in the capitol. That'll stop quickly enough after the police start hauling them away, and the judges fine the out of them.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

I'll go out on a limb..... I think the tide is turning... (doesn't mean it is :- )

I'm not sure why one would think so.

 

[darkcelestialillumination]

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.-TS Eliot

 

[Spazmelda]

Wow. I'm super depressed now.

 

[cat58]

Wow. I'm super depressed now.

As am I. I don't think I can read this section anymore - seriously. We might as well just turn our face to the wall if this is how it truly is.

I'm going to hold onto a bit of hope that things will turn out better than this, naïve tho it may be, and keep trying. It might be futile but it's better than just giving up.

 

[AgentAnia]

Wow. I'm super depressed now.

Yes, it is depressing. I was so depressed reading OP yesterday I had to log off and take a serious mental health break (in my case, this involves vaping, jigsaw puzzles and purring cats).

But it's also reality. I (and I hope others) cannot and will not stop reading, staying informed, acting, thinking. I will never stop working for the world I want to live in.

You keep on posting, Roger. You have a talent for expressing the worst that can happen, and we need to hear it.

 

[Spazmelda]

Yes, it is depressing. I was so depressed reading OP yesterday I had to log off and take a serious mental health break (in my case, this involves vaping, jigsaw puzzles and purring cats).

But it's also reality. I (and I hope others) cannot and will not stop reading, staying informed, acting, thinking. I will never stop working for the world I want to live in.

You keep on posting, Roger. You have a talent for expressing the worst that can happen, and we need to hear it.

Yes, an my post was not meant to discourage Roger from posting. I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoy the roundups, though the writing is entertaining and well done, the subject matter is a downer. We need to hear it though. IMO we can't really get into a bubble where we think this isn't going to happen. I begin to despair that the truth will ever come out though.

Personally, I am set up for the worst case scenarios. I can continue vaping for 20+ years if I need to! but it infuriates me that science is being .......ized to promote this ridiculous agenda.

Ania- I'm going to do as you did and go downstairs and make some pottery, vape, and catch up on Mad Men. I will not give up though.

Oh, come on filters... {MODERATED} is not a bad word!

 

[LDS714]

...require that the age of purchase be increased to 21 for those devices...

Translation: "18-20 year-olds are smart enough to vote for me, but can't be trusted beyond that."

 

[LDS714]

If Matt Myers repeats history, he's already been involved with negotiations between himself BT and the FDA to define a product that will benefit himself and the tobacco industry to the detriment of all else. A tobacco flavored, sealed cartridge e cig will not make the impact that can be expected from the current industry. I for one will phase out vaping as supplies fade. Many will return to smoking and many more will never have the opportunity to learn of the benefits.

If this industry has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, a good chunk of those profits are not part of the revolution as they've been bought out by BT. However, there should be money to fight oppressive regulation in the courts. This is an offshoot of a legal product with little doubt that it is much safer. A court battle needs to be formulated around that premise.

Our legal system functioning as what it has been perverted into - a siphon for money.

 

[AgentAnia]

Yes, an my post was not meant to discourage Roger from posting.

Never meant to imply it was. I wasn't clear enough; sorry!

I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoy the roundups, though the writing is entertaining and well done, the subject matter is a downer. We need to hear it though. IMO we can't really get into a bubble where we think this isn't going to happen. I begin to despair that the truth will ever come out though.

Lately, I'm finding it *very* tempting to crawl into that bubble. Not because I don't want to think it may happen, but because the avalanche of ANTZ PR is becoming overwhelming. But I refuse to let myself. Sometimes it's enough to stand back a bit, watch the ANTZs' increasingly hysterical and desperate caterwauling, and ask myself "When will they reach the tipping point, when will people on the street (and maybe even the media) see them for what they are and stop listening?" Sometimes it's enough to stop for a while, work a jigsaw puzzle or cuddle a cat. But then I have to jump back into the fray and write the next rebuttal comment or email the next misguided or bought-and-paid-for legislator...

Personally, I am set up for the worst case scenarios. I can continue vaping for 20+ years if I need to! but it infuriates me that science is being .......ized to promote this ridiculous agenda.

Ania- I'm going to do as you did and go downstairs and make some pottery, vape, and catch up on Mad Men. I will not give up though.

Oh, come on filters... {MODERATED} is not a bad word!

According to Vape Mania, it's {MODERATED} that's the bad word, lol. (Not the word it's replacing, but {MODERATED} itself.) But I digress (and give all respect to our moderators! )

ETA: I believe this thread was originally posted in the Media and General News forum? In any event, I think it's a good thing that it's here now.

Any new vapers or vapers unaware of the political brouhaha surrounding ecigs and vaping at present, PLEASE PLEASE PAY ATTENTION! A lot of money is being spent to frighten people away from ecigs, to restrict our access to them, and to restrict where we can vape. Check the Media and Legislation forums for updates and ideas on how you can help. Join CASAA. ACTIVELY support vaping. We need every single vaper in this fight.

ETA2: Oops. Thought I was in General E-Smoking forum when I wrote ETA. Damn bookmarks! :going for more coffee:

 

[rothenbj]

I knew I was in the news area, but had to check because I thought somehow I had warped into the Twilight Zone.

 

[Spazmelda]

Never meant to imply it was. I wasn't clear enough; sorry!

I know that's not what you meant , but my post could have come off as flippant, and I wanted to clarify that I wasn't meaning to be snarky with my "depressed" comment. I wasn't meaning to direct the clarification to you, but just to anyone reading.