This is a last call for support to stop the ban of non-tobacco recreational nicotine products in the UK.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's  Public consultation (MLX 364): The regulation of nicotine containing products (NCPs) closes on 2nd June and it's important for us to tell them what we think about keeping nicotine available with commercial regulation as a recreational substance.

Please encourage your friends, customers, colleagues, family and acquaintances to respond to the consultation.

Please also spread the word about our petition on the regulation of electronic cigarettes which currently has 4303 signatures.  I will be printing this petition to deliver to the Prime Minister and the Department of Health soon and every signature helps.


The MHRA says that nicotine is a medicine because it's claimed it can be used to treat nicotine addiction.  Logically that isn't possible and nicotine can only sustain nicotine addiction.  Many people have used e-cigs to quit smoking but they're not cured of nicotine addiction or compulsive behaviour, swapping from one fixation to another doesn't qualify as an exclusively medical treatment.

The argument can't be that smoking is bad otherwise tobacco wouldn't be the only thing exempted from the proposed ban.  Why are all the acceptable alternatives that are safer and satisfying systematically made unavailable, would the government prefer us to smoke?  No pharmaceutical companies have applied for medical licensing of nicotine liquid that I'm aware of anywhere in the world (and even if they did they would probably make it taste like mouldy socks or something).  The commercial traders who have given millions of us a miraculous and enjoyable alternative to smoke are being placed at an unfair disadvantage - they do not have the resources to become or compete with pharmaceutical company powers.  Smoke and anti-smoke industries stand to gain while millions of  us get force fed the same old line that we should want to quit and we could if only we wanted to enough ... "here, pop a pill, if that doesn't work it's because you're a freak, go stand in the corner".

These are the links again:
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Consultations/Medicinesconsultations/MLXs/CON065617
http://www.petitiononline.com/vaping/petition.html

I hope you'll support the right to choose for adult smokers who have undoubtedly found acceptable recreational nicotine products as alternatives to the smoke they enjoy.  Even if you don't support us I encourage you to put your views to the MHRA, this is a complex and important issue, I hope that all voices will be heard.