New York State Call to Action (Ended)

UPDATE: Thanks to the hard work of CASAA members, the New York State Legislature ended their session by passing A9044-B, which bans the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.  A9044-B, which would have senselessly banned sales of e-cigarettes to adults, failed to pass.

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New York State Senator Kemp Hannon has proposed Bill S07635  (Link: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S7635-2011).

This bill would:
If enacted, prohibit all sales of electronic cigarettes. It amends New York Public Health Law, §1399-11, enacted in August 2000, which prohibited cigarette sellers and common carriers from shipping cigarettes directly to consumers.

The bill was introduced in the Health Committee and may be referred to the Rules Committee which meets daily. Thus it could be sent to the full Senate at any time. So it is urgent that messages be sent to members of the Rules Committee immediately.

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NOTE: You do not need to include all of the items listed below, but the first two are vital.

What to say:
1. Let them know that you strongly oppose S07635 that would ban all electronic cigarette sales, but that you do support a ban on sales to minors. Senator Johnson's S02926B (same as A 9044-B introduced by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal) would appropriately ban sales to minors while keeping the products available to adults as a reduced-risk alternative to smoking.


2. Tell your story on how switching from smoking cigarettes to a far less hazardous alternative product has changed your life. When and why did you start using an e-cigarette? What effect has this had on your smoking of tobacco cigarettes? What has been the effect on your health?


3. Explain that research has consistently shown that virtually all e-cigarette users are using them as a substitute for smoking. The vast majority tried to quit smoking multiple times, using the other methods available and failed.


4. Tell them that there are an estimated 250,000 e-cigarette users in New York. Many, deprived of the ability to purchase e-cigarettes in New York, will return to the far more hazardous act of smoking since tobacco cigarettes will, ironically, continue to be readily available in New York.


5. Tell them that e-cigarettes have been shown to pose so little health risk that it is below what can be measured and no one has even tried to estimate it.

a.     Claims about chemical contamination are vastly overblown. Some of the supposed contaminants occur as such incredibly low levels that they are barely measurable using the most modern instruments.

b.    Pharmaceutical nicotine products like patches and nicotine gum contain about the same quantities of “carcinogens” as a gram of e-cigarette liquid—about 8 nanograms. In contrast, a pack of Marlboro cigarettes contains 126,000 nanograms.

6. Tell them that cigarette lighters and home fires started by smoking tobacco cigarettes cause far more injuries than e-cigarettes have. According to one study, well over a thousand people are injured per year due to defective lighters [news story], and over 1,000 people are killed by fires caused by smoking [FEMA].

7. As for smoking itself, on average, it is estimated that smoking for just a couple of months poses a greater health risk than a lifetime of using a smoke-free nicotine or tobacco product.

6. Direct them to the CASAA.org website for more information.

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Please call, write or fax the members of the New York Senate Rules Committee below.

Kemp Hannon (sole sponsor and member of Senate Rules Committee)
hannon@nysenate.gov

The Capitol Room 420

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518-455-2200

Chair: Sen. Dean G. Skelos (chairman of Senate Rules Committee)
skelos@nysenate.gov

Legislative Office Building, Room 909

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-3171

James S. Alesi
alesi@nysenate.gov
Room 512, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2015

Fax: (518) 426-6968

Neil D. Breslin
breslin@nysenate.gov
172 State Street Room 413, Capitol

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2225

Martin Malavé Dilan
dilan@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 903, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2177

Fax: (518) 426-6947

Thomas K. Duane
duane@nysenate.gov 181 State Street Room 711-B Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2451

Fax: (518) 426-6846

Hugh T. Farley
farley@nysenate.gov 188 State Street Room 711, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2181

Fax: (518) 455-2271

Charles J. Fuschillo Jr.
fuschill@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 609, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518-455-3341

Ruth Hassell-Thompson
hassellt@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 707 Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2061

Fax: (518) 426-6998

Owen H. Johnson
ojohnson@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 913 Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-3411

Liz Krueger
lkrueger@nysenate.gov

172 State Street Room 905 Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2297

Fax: (518) 426-6874

William J. Larkin Jr.
larkin@nysenate.gov188 State Street Room 502, Senate Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2770

Kenneth P. LaValle
lavalle@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 806, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-3121

Tom Libous
senator@senatorlibous.com

429 Capitol

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2677

Carl L Marcellino
marcelli@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 811, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2390

George D. Maziarz
maziarz@nysenate.gov

Room 708, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2024

Velmanette Montgomery
montgome@nysenate.gov

944 Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-3451

Fax: (518) 426-6854

Michael F. Nozzolio
nozzolio@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 412, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2366

Fax: (518) 426-6953

Kevin S. Parker
parker@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 604, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2580

Fax: (518) 426-6843

Bill Perkins
perkins@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 517, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518-455-2441

Fax: 518-426-6809

Stephen M. Saland
saland@nysenate.gov

State Street Room 504 - Capitol

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518-455-2411

John L. Sampson
sampson@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 907, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2788

Fax: (518) 426-6806

James L. Seward
seward@nysenate.gov

172 State Street Room 430, Capital

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518) 455-3131

Dean G. Skelos
skelos@nysenate.gov

Legislative Office Building, Room 909

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-3171

Malcolm A. Smith
masmith@nysenate.gov

181 State Street Room 808, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2701

Fax: (518) 455-2816

Andrea Stewart-Cousins
scousins@nysenate.gov

188 State Street Room 615, Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: (518) 455-2585

Fax: (518) 426-6811

Comma delimited email list:
hannon@nysenate.gov, skelos@nysenate.gov, alesi@nysenate.gov, breslin@nysenate.gov, dilan@nysenate.gov, duane@nysenate.gov, farley@nysenate.gov, fuschill@nysenate.gov, hassellt@nysenate.gov, ojohnson@nysenate.gov, lkrueger@nysenate.gov, larkin@nysenate.gov, lavalle@nysenate.gov, senator@senatorlibous.com, marcelli@nysenate.gov, maziarz@nysenate.gov, montgome@nysenate.gov, nozzolio@nysenate.gov, parker@nysenate.gov, perkins@nysenate.gov, saland@nysenate.gov, sampson@nysenate.gov, seward@nysenate.gov, skelos@nysenate.gov, masmith@nysenate.gov, scousins@nysenate.gov

Semicolon delimited list:
hannon@nysenate.gov; skelos@nysenate.gov; alesi@nysenate.gov; breslin@nysenate.gov; dilan@nysenate.gov; duane@nysenate.gov; farley@nysenate.gov; fuschill@nysenate.gov; hassellt@nysenate.gov; ojohnson@nysenate.gov; lkrueger@nysenate.gov; larkin@nysenate.gov; lavalle@nysenate.gov; senator@senatorlibous.com; marcelli@nysenate.gov; maziarz@nysenate.gov; montgome@nysenate.gov; nozzolio@nysenate.gov; parker@nysenate.gov; perkins@nysenate.gov; saland@nysenate.gov; sampson@nysenate.gov; seward@nysenate.gov; skelos@nysenate.gov; masmith@nysenate.gov; scousins@nysenate.gov