Stop New York eCig Ban
URGENT: STOP NEW YORK CITY FROM BANNING ECIGS!!
As a VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes adult consumer, we try to not overfill your email inbox with messages. However, we knew you would be interested in the proposed ban on use of ecigarettes in New York City and hope you would oppose the ban by helping educate your City Council member about ecigarettes.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and several members of the New York City Council plan to quickly pass an ordinance that would ban ecigarette use in both indoor and outdoors locations. Essentially, you would be once again treated like a smoker and forced to vacate any location where smoking traditional cigarettes is already banned. We believe this goes too far and there is no credible justification for this new law. It also might encourage many vapers to simply take up smoking again, which is clearly not good for the health of the people they serve.
Supporters of the ban are hoping to have the full Council vote on this ordinance at their meeting on Thursday, December 19th at 1:30 PM at City Hall (260 Broadway), when most New Yorkers are distracted by the winter holidays. That is why it is critically important that you contact the New York City Council Members by email, by phone and (if possible) in person. Please share this message with anyone who might share your interest in opposing this ecigarette ban.
New York City Residents:
We are requesting that you take three steps:
(1) Most importantly, please contact your own representative on the New York City Council by phone or e-mail. Phone calls are especially encouraged, and be sure to note that you live in their district. You can find the contact information for your council member here - http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
(2) Contact the entire City Council to express your opposition. At the bottom of this message is a list of all the New York City Council members. Please send an e-mail to the members. If you have time, please call the offices of the City Council members from your borough and let them know that you would like them not to support the e-cigarette usage ordinance.
(3) Next week there will be at least one opportunity for vapers in New York City to meet up and show solidarity against this ban. These events will likely take place on Wednesday, December 18th or Thursday, December 19th and will be announced at the beginning of the week. For the most up-to-date details, please see ecigarette consumer group CASAA's Call to Action -- http://blog.casaa.org/2013/11/call-to-action-new-york-city-e.html
Remember, the most important step you can take is contacting your own City Council person (see item #1 above).
NYC and Nearby Residents:
What to Say When Contacting Members of the New York City Council
1. Be RESPECTFUL but firm and let them know you ask them to OPPOSE the proposed ordinance to define "smoking" to include use of smoke-free electronic cigarettes.
2. Tell your personal story on how switching to an ecigarette has changed your life or the life of someone you love.
3. Explain how smoking bans are enacted to protect the public from the harm of secondhand smoke, but that there is currently no credible scientific basis demonstrating that ecigarettes cause harm to bystanders.
4. Inform them that the ability to use electronic cigarettes in public spaces may actually improve awareness of the alternatives to deadly combustible cigarettes.
5. If the convenience of not being forced to the curb was a motivator in your own decision to switch, be sure to highlight this.
6. Passage of this ban would force you back outside to breathe in secondhand smoke in designated smoking areas. If you don't want to be exposed to secondhand smoke, or worry that sitting in the outdoor smoking section may tempt you to return to smoking, it is imperative you make that known.
Please Ask the Members of the New York City Council to OPPOSE the eCigarette Usage Ordinance
While e-mails are easier, phone calls will have a larger impact, even if you are simply leaving a message after hours.
Please note that some of the below legislators do not have e-mail addresses publicly available. Calls to the offices of these legislators are needed.
Comma delimited email list:
BROOKLYN COUNCIL MEMBERS
Margaret Chin (D) [District 1]
212-788-7259
chin@council.nyc.gov
Rosie Mendez (D) [District 2]
212-788-7366
rmendez@council.nyc.gov
Christine C. Quinn (D) [District 3]
212 788-7210
Daniel R. Garodnick (D) [District 4]
212-788-7393
garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us
Jessica S. Lappin (D) [District 5]
212-788-6865
lappin@council.nyc.gov
Gale A. Brewer (D) [District 6]
212 788-6975
gbrewer@council.nyc.gov
Robert Jackson (D) [District 7]
212-788-7007
rjackson@council.nyc.gov
Melissa Mark-Viverito (D) [District 8]
212-788-6960
mviverito@council.nyc.gov
Inez Dickens (D) [District 9]
212-788-7397
Ydanis Rodriguez (D) [District 10]
212-788-7053
yrodriguez@council.nyc.gov
Oliver Koppell (D) [District 11]
212-788-7080
Andy King (D) [District 12]
718 684-5509
aking@council.nyc.gov
James Vacca (D) [District 13]
212-788-7375
jvacca@council.nyc.gov
Fernando Cabrera (D) [District 14]
212-788-7074
Joel Rivera (D) [District 15]
212-788-6966
Joel.Rivera@council.nyc.gov
Vanessa L. Gibson [District 16]
212-788-6856
VGibson@council.nyc.gov
Maria del Carmen Arroyo (D) [District 17]
212-788-7384
BRONX COUNCIL MEMBERS
Annabel Palma (D) [District 18]
212-788-6853
apalma@council.nyc.gov
Daniel Halloran (R), (C), (I), (L) [District 19]
212-788-7250
dhalloran@council.nyc.gov
Peter Koo (D) [District 20]
212-788-7022
pkoo@council.nyc.gov
Julissa Ferreras (D) [District 21]
212-788-6862
jferreras@council.nyc.gov
Peter F. Vallone Jr. (D) [District 22]
212-788-6963
Mark S. Weprin (D) [District 23]
212-788-6984
MWeprin@Council.NYC.gov
James F. Gennaro (D) [District 24]
212-788-6956
jgennaro@council.nyc.gov
Daniel Dromm (D) [District 25]
212-788-7066
MANHATTAN COUNCIL MEMBERS
Jimmy Van Bramer (D) [District 26]
212-788-7370
jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov
Leroy Comrie (D) [District 27]
212-788-7084
comrie@council.nyc.ny.us
Ruben Wills (D) [District 28]
212-788-6850
Ruben.Wills@council.nyc.gov
Karen Koslowitz (D) [District 29]
212-788-6981
Koslowitz@council.nyc.gov
Elizabeth Crowley (D) [District 30]
212 788-7381
ecrowley@council.nyc.gov
Donovan Richards Jr [District 31]
212-788-7216
Eric Ulrich (R) [District 32]
212-788-7069
eulrich@council.nyc.gov
Stephen Levin (D) [District 33]
212-788-7348
slevin@council.nyc.gov
Diana Reyna (D) [District 34]
212-788-7095
Letitia James [District 35]
212-788-7081
ljames@council.nyc.gov
QUEENS COUNCIL MEMBERS
Albert Vann (D) [District 36]
212-788-7354
avann@council.nyc.gov
Erik Martin Dilan (D) [District 37]
212-788-7284
Edilan@council.nyc.gov
Sara M. González (D) [District 38]
212-788-7372
sgonzalez@council.nyc.gov
Brad Landers (D) [District 39]
212-788-6969
lander@council.nyc.gov
Mathieu Eugene (D) [District 40]
212-788-7352
mathieu.eugene@council.nyc.gov
Darlene Mealy (D) [District 41]
212-788-7387
darlene.mealy@council.nyc.gov
Charles Barron (D) [District 42]
212-788-6957
Vincent J. Gentile (D) [District 43]
212-788-7363
vgentile@council.nyc.gov
David G. Greenfield (D) [District 44]
718-853-2704
dgreenfield@council.nyc.gov
Jumaane D. Williams (D) [District 45]
212-788-6859
Lew Fidler (D) [District 46]
212-788-7286
LFidler@council.nyc.gov
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. (D) [District 47]
212-788-7045
drecchia@council.nyc.gov
Michael Nelson (D) [District 48]
212-788-7360
MNelson1@council.nyc.gov
STATEN ISLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS
Deborah Rose (D) [District 49]
212-788-6972
DROSE@Council.nyc.gov
James S. Oddo (R) [District 50]
212-788-7159
joddo@council.nyc.gov
Vincent Ignizio (R) [District 51]
212-788-7390
vignizio@council.nyc.gov