Most of you will be aware by now of the EU directive that is proposing to what amounts to a ban on e-cigs, maybe some of you have signed petitions before and feel what’s the point? But before you sit back and do nothing, I want to ask you to look at the wider picture, because this is about so much more than just banning e-cigs.

 

 

The EU proposal is a very clever one, where e-cigs are not banned, but the only ones that would be sold without a licence, and these would be ones that hold no more than 1ml of 4mg e-liquid, the equivalent to puffing on air.

 

Why did the EU do this? Because the people that are in power in Brussels are influenced by lobby groups. A lobbyist is a person paid by someone with an agenda to hassle an MEP to get that agenda on the statute books. Look at how effective the anti smoking lot are – many of their ‘charities’ are nothing more than a cover for a lobbying group.

 

So who wants e-cigs banned or only sold with a medical licence? The Pharmaceutical Industry. Why?  Because as we know traditional NRT has a dismal failure rate, BUT – the pharmaceutical industry have recently secured a long term use licence for nicotine products, so wouldn’t it be great to get e-cigs registered as medical products, as we know folk vape for years with no apparent side effects to date, and then they and they alone can sell them for as long as they want, and the cash comes rolling in?

 

 

It appears that each flavour and strength of e-liquid will need a licence, and each licence is, rumour has it, going to cost about £1 million each. The multinationals will pass that cost back to you, and looking at the mess the NHS is in, they are not going to be buying them in bulk anytime soon. When they do appear, they won’t be in the diverse styles and ranges we have now, there won’t be the innovation or creativity, no modding, no community, that will all go – after all – how many forums are there cheering you on with the nictone gum??

 

But then we get to the human side of this, and this is where it really matters. Not just the folk who’s lives have been transformed by vaping, you know the ones that can breathe, and taste and run again and who’s lives are so much better for it, but let’s not forget the many that are making a living out of this industry, supporting families, spending their wages in your local community. The e-cig industry employs people here in the UK, it employs thousands of people in the UK, TW alone supports over 30 families in the main business and hundreds with its resellers – these people and all the other UK e-cig sellers from all the other e-cig companies are making a living wage by selling a product that is helping people.

 

Are we to hand all that over, on a plate, to a multinational or two that couldn’t care less about you,  because if they did would they seriously sell Chantix?

 

Are we to hand it all over to MEP’s in Europe that are not taking the time to do the research and are being blinded by lobbyist?

 

And let’s state this again too – THE EU DIRECTIVE IS NOT ABOUT HEALTH – it’s about putting wealth in a few peoples pockets, and I for one am fed up with the inequality. Bankers wreck society, and we pay for their foul ups and greed, while they still get million pound bonuses – are we going to roll over and let the fat cats have our e-cigs too?? Just because they want even more money?

 

And what about your freedom to choose? What about your right to decide where your money goes, what flavour you vape, which e-cig you use, or what you put into your body?

 

 Please don’t leave this to others to sort out – please take action!

 

Thanks for reading, yes I feel strongly about this – and if you have been following how utterly corrupt and bias those in power appear to be regarding tobacco, you feel strongly too.

 

Now please take action – get involved – read this ‘how to post’  – here is the link

http://www.clivebates.com/?p=739

(See you don’t even have to get up from the pc, and it will take just a few minutes of your time – but it could make all the difference.)