Not sure if this is appropriate, but here's what I wrote to Sheldon Silver today:
"Hello, I write this brief message to request that you consider voting against the above mentioned legislation before the NY Senate, which would ban all sales of e-liquids in NY. I have successfully used electronic cigarettes to get many people to quit smoking. Banning this product would in all likelihood lead most of these people back to smoking.
Furthermore, the logic behind this legislation is seriously flawed. Allegedly, e-liquids are a poison threat to children. In that case, we should be banning toothpaste, which poisons hundreds of times more people every year, and is directly and deliberately marketed to children. We should also ban all household cleaning products and countless other chemicals found in many homes that, if consumed, could pose a health risk.
Sir, I understand that, in the grand scheme of things, this issue is probably of little significance when compared to other legislation being considered. But the potential for e-cigarettes to ween countless millions off of cigarettes and provide to these people a less harmful alternative would be seriously compromised if this ill-considered legislation based on no logical reasoning or data is passed.
I welcome reasonable legislation that will keep such products out of the hands of children, and regulations requiring child-proof packaging. However, banning e-liquids while continuing to allow the sale and marketing of cigarettes would be, frankly, medieval.
Please also note that Big Tobacco is about to launch their own e-cigarette products nationwide this week. The e-liquid container they use in their sub-standard products is exempted under the legislation mentioned above. This would mean that small mom & pop businesses would be shuttered by this law (including many in NY State), and the market would be handed over to Big Tobacco. This fact would make for poor headlines for those voting in favor of this law, especially in this virulently anti-smoking environment.
Thank you for considering this opinion, and I hope to hear your voice of reason speaking out against these bills.
Most sincerely,"
