Electronic Cigarettes

His name is Rick. He is a former smoker of 1 pack a day for 35 years. He has been smoke free for 1 year and 7 months now. Like me, his success story is thanks to the smoking alternative electronic cigarettes.

He told his story to MSN Health and Fitness. About how he started because of social pressure and because it was a cool thing to do.

This is some of what he shared with MSN:

“I, like many smokers, had tried to quit many times, trying everything available: gum, patches, pills, cold turkey, tapering off, etc. All had short-term success, three to 12 months”

I can relate to this (and a whole lot of former smokers too). Going as far as trying hypnosis, nothing seemed to work for my addiction until I discovered the smoke free alternative electronic cigarettes.

“I discovered electronic cigarettes while purchasing normal cigs at my discount store. If I could at least eliminate the carcinogens, the smoke and smell, it would replace regular cigarettes. I originally intended to just use a healthier product to satisfy my nicotine habit.”

The vapers community couldn’t agree more with Rick. That’s exactly what you get with electronic cigarettes. You are addressing the mechanical act of smoking with a smoking alternative that has far less carcinogens than analogs. There’s no smoke, no smell and no ash.

“Everything smells and tastes better.”

I think every single persona that has sticked with electronic cigarettes for more than just a month, will say the exact same 5 words.

Very nice to see a success story that would typically be posted in a community forum or somewhere else being posted elsewhere on MSN, which serves for greater exposure.

http://health.MSN.com/

smoke free

More and more airports and hub-airports are going smoke free due to tighter smoking bans. November is one of the nation’s busiest travel seasons. Airlines need connecting points to transfer passengers from one plane to another. These are called hub airports, and they are a total of 29 in the country.

According to the latest survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are seven large hub airports that still allow some sort of indoor smoking

● McCarran International Airport, Nevada

● Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (the nation’s busiest and the one with the most indoor smoking areas, 12)

● Dallas-Fort Worth International

● Denver International

● Charlotte-Douglas International in Charlotte, N.C.

● Washington Dulles International

● Salt Lake City International

The government noted that 22 % of holiday travelers will be boarding at the seven major hub airports that still allow some form of indoor smoking.

Despite state and local indoor smoking bans, the CDC reports that 88 million nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke in public spaces (this includes workplaces and public places). CDC estimates close to 50,000 deaths annually due to secondhand smoke (including heart disease and lung cancer).

Dr. Ursula Bauer, director of the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion said:

“Completely eliminating indoor smoking in all public places and workplaces, including airports, is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure.”

There are ways to address the issue, and alienating smokers is not the solution. Having smoke free alternatives like Swedish snus, electronic cigarettes or gum at disposal could help. Some people don’t take kindly being sexually assaulted at check-in, and depriving them of a cigarette with a complete indoor smoking ban may escalate things.

Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com

National Health Service

The National Health Service (NHS) in UK spends millions of Euros to encourage smokers to quit the habit. Sadly, fewer smokers are quitting and the number of people trying to give up or stop altogether has halved.

And even though the money gone to the National Health Service Stop Smoking campaign has gone up from £51million in 2006/07 to £84million last year. Less than a 5% of smokers are trying to give up making use of the NHS’s services, which includes:

● Weekly support meetings
● Free supply of gum and nicotine patches
● A helpline.

National Health Service Stop Smoking campaign launched in 2001, with more than half a billion on the campaign and the amount has steadily increased every year. Both critics and the figures show the NHS Stop Smoking campaign was ineffective. Research shows that just 17 % of smokers have tried to quit at some point over the past three months, compared to 32 per cent over the same period in 2007.

Fiona McEvoy, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance said:
“It’s shocking that the millions sunk into this scheme have failed to make any significant impact”
“This is money that could’ve been used for medicine and operations.”

Campaigners point out that the money could be better spent on life-saving treatments, that the NHS Stop Smoking campaign was both costly and unpopular. Why not use that Stop Smoking campaign money more effectively?

The Nicotine Reduction Therapy like patches, gum, lozenges, etc. only have a success rate of 7% at 6 months, 5% at one year, and 2% twenty months out. Switching to Swedish Snus has success rates ranging from 55% to 90%, and switching to an electronic cigarette has success rates between 63% and 80%.

National Health Service should tell the truth about smokeless tobacco products such as snus, electronic cigarette and disposables. With these alternatives, smokers can reduce their health risks by up to 99% by switching to one of these products.

tobacco tax

The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998 between 46 states and cigarette companies said that tobacco companies were to pay an estimated $246 billion over 25 years to the states. However, states are allowed to spend their settlement dollars on needs other than tobacco prevention.

In fiscal year 2010, tobacco settlement revenue amounted to an estimated $8.1 billion for all states. States are cutting down their funding for tobacco-prevention programs. In the current fiscal year, it reached the lowest level since 1999.

Smoking-rate declines have improved in several states. Here are some examples:

● California:
The state has run a comprehensive tobacco-control program since 1989. It includes anti-smoking advertising campaigns, toll-free quit lines that people use to talk to cessation counselors and other measures. California’s adult smoking rate fell to 12.9% in 2009.

● Ohio:
The state trimmed its smoking rate by five percentage points between 2001 and 2005, when it was allocating as much as $60 million a year to tobacco prevention.

● Washington:
The state slashed its smoking rate 34% over a decade, seeing it drop to 14.8% in 2009.

Several other states reduced their smoking rates by a third or more since the late 1990s.

American Heart Association (AHA), American Cancer Society (ACS), American Lung Association (ALA) and many other associations have been advocating for decades for increased state funding. They need more money for their tobacco control programs because that’s what helps pay their salaries and fund the programs they’ve run.

And for the past decade, the AHA, ACS, ALA (plus others) has continuously complained that states have cut spending on tobacco control programs.

More states are going to further reduce funding for tobacco control programs, which will result in CDC, CTFK, ACS, AHA, ALA complaining about it even more. This is what happens when you get government addicted to tobacco tax dollars.

Source: http://online.wsj.com

NYU

According to Jonathan Whiteson, who is the medical director of the Cardiac and Pulmonary Wellness and Rehabilitation Program, electronic cigarette can be unhealthy.

To the NYU professor, these are some of the dangers electronic cigarettes may possess.

• Dangerous chemicals in the vapor
• They can potentially cause lung damage
• Few studies have been conducted on the health effects

To top of it all off, Whiteson said that electronic cigarettes are not a valid method to quit smoking and play no role in the medical field of smoking cessation.

Carolyn Park, who is CAS senior also supports Prof. Whiteson point of view. She said:
“If you want to smoke, just smoke the real thing. I understand the appeal, but it looks silly.

Prof. Jonathan Whiteson should try and prove his statements with data. CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Assc) has links on its site for every known test and study and not one discovered any dangerous chemicals in the vapor.

Global Exec Aviation

Global Exec Aviation (GEA), who is a charter jet service based in Southern California for luxurious people and celebrities, will now give in-flight packs of disposable blu cigs.

The disposable version of blu cigs works the same as the regular or rechargeable version, but once you finish you e-juice you can throw it away. This will allow the passengers of GEA to get their nicotine fix without the harm of second hand smoke or impacting air travel safety.

blu cigs president Jason Healy said: “blu offers everything you like about smoking, and none of the things you don’t. We are thrilled to partner with a company like GEA, since this alliance further underscores our own ongoing commitment to deliver a product that enhances our customers’ lifestyles.”

blu cigs is a very customer-friendly smoking alternative. blu cigs are now being sold in sporting venues, bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and resorts.

Lithium Batteries

Electronic cigarette are composed by a handful of elements, and one of those are lithium batteries. Fallowing last month’s crash of a United Parcel Service plane in Dubai that killed both pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials urged air carriers to voluntarily take steps to reduce the risk of cargo fires caused by overheated lithium batteries.

Lithium ion batteries are flammable and capable of self-igniting. They can generate temperatures very close to the melting point of aluminum, which is what the exterior of airplanes are typically made of. On the day of the accident, the Boeing 747-400 was carrying a large quantity of lithium batteries. Smoke from a fire in the plane’s main cabin, which was used for cargo, was so thick that the pilots told air traffic controllers they couldn’t see their instruments as they struggled to land the plane.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials urged air carriers to voluntarily take steps to reduce the risk of cargo fires caused by overheated lithium batteries. This could pose to be a potential problem getting electronic cigarette batteries. Not only electronic cigarette, but cameras, iPods, mobile phones. Most electronics use lithium batteries these days.

European Union

The European Commission on Friday launched a consultation to update the rules on snuff, which are sold in pharmacies. The measures being considered include:

- The level deck marketing of electronic cigarettes
- Drinks and nicotine candies
- Nicotine and additives and flavors added to cigarettes
- The use of graphic health warnings larger on both sides of the packages of snuff
Member States have eight weeks to respond to the query, then the EC would propose a text in early 2012 to review current legislation, with which it wants to raise awareness about the risks of smoking.

At this time, the European Commission is governed by a policy that dates back to 2001 and which sets maximum levels of substances such as nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide in cigarettes. It also requires manufacturers to put health warning text on snuff products and prohibits the use of terms such as’ light ‘,’ mild ‘or’ low tar. ”

The revision proposed by the Commission responds to requests made by the European Parliament in 2007 called on Member States to reduce youth smoking by 50 percent by 2025.

The adoption of more stringent rules would snuff products, according to the EC to achieve this goal. The text does not have anything to do with the smoking ban in public places, which is still the responsibility of Member States.

Brussels points out that the legislation of the Member States differs greatly and does not address, for example, health and safety problems posed by certain products, such as electronic cigarettes.

The EC recalled that the snuff is the leading cause of preventable mortality in the European Union, with about 650,000 premature deaths each year.

Source: www.europapress.es/

The U.S. Court of Appeals

Tomorrow can be a big day in the electronic cigarette industry. The court case is to determine whether electronic cigarettes are going to be regulated or labeled as “tobacco products” or as a “drug device combination”.

All parties agree that the FDA has the authority to regulate electronic cigarettes. Why? Because the Congress gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products when it passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The only legal issue is under what category electronic cigarettes fall. If they would fall under the “drug device combination devices they must meet strict regulations, while as “tobacco products” they would be less difficult regulated.

The case of the FDA vs. Electronic cigarette maker will be held in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The proceeding will be argued shortly after 10:00 AM on Thursday, September 23, 2010. The Courtroom 11 on the fifth floor of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse at Third Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

Good Day Atlanta

It was in the morning show Good Day Atlanta with Dr. Neil Winawer from Emory University. Dr. Winawer practices internal medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Winawer graduated with an MD 17 years ago.

Emory University is well respected and it is good to see a positive report for a change from a medical professional. Dr. Neil Winawer gave his opinion on Good Day Atlanta about electronic cigarettes and he was very open and public. He was touting that they are good benefits to using electronic cigarettes and not making fun of the device like other Dr’s have done in the past in other talk shows.

Video: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/good_day_atl/Housecall%3A-Electronic-Cigarettes-20100913-gda-sd

FDA

The citizenry is taking with mixed opinions the warning letter the FDA issued to 5 different electronic cigarette distributors. The warning letter claims poor manufacturing practices (quality control) and unsubstantiated health claims (quit smoking alternative). The FDA encourages these distributors to work with them to lawfully sell these drug delivery systems… but who declared them to be drug delivery systems, or that e-juice is a drug? 

This claim has caused mixed reactions on the electronic cigarette users. Why? Because some of the companies involved do claim that e-cigarettes will help you quit smoking. Some consumers are fearful of the poor quality controls in China (where most of the e-juice are made). Other e-juice brands are made in home basements and have become a source of income for some people. However, this will surely hurt the smokeless tobacco industry. 

Other e-cigarettes consumers feel they don’t want to wait for some ineffective FDA approved nicotine replacement therapy incapable of helping 95% of smokers. E-cigarettes shouldn’t be banned until proven safe; that’s not how or government is ‘supposed’ to work. Consumers should be left to their smoking alternative unless they are found to cause harm. 

While it would be good to get rid of unapproved drugs being added and products that might be tainted, working with the FDA will be admitting that they are drug delivery devices! If they are not treating all nicotine products with the same regard (i.e. Snus), then they are playing favorites. Technology has been changing our world like crazy in the past few years. It’s time we moved on to a better, healthier smoking alternative. 

Source: http://www.fda.gov/ 

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Plants

From reading a number of studies, some old, some newer, USDA & FDA funded, it seems that nicotine is some form is a necessary nutrient for mitochondrial and other health. Then why are certain entities in the government (FDA, ALA, etc…) against electronic cigarettes?

Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are known to have nicotine in them and nicotanic acid or vitamin B3. All B vitamins help the body to convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is burned to produce energy. If so, nightshade plants along with mushrooms, salmon, tuna, lettuce, turkey, mustard, peanuts etc. are at the top of the list nutritionally being listed by some sites as being highest in nicotanic acid.

So? Is the FDA or other government agencies going to ban the entire nightshade plants? We’ll have one very unhealthy population if they did! Food additives that contain nicotine are OK according to some government agencies?

You can’t help but wonder if nicotine addicted people may have instead a vitamin deficiency. It seems nicotine is necessary for a human’s health, in one form or another. People affected with Crones’ Disease are told to eat foods high in nicotine to help their symptoms. So is smoking an electronic cigarette a better choice for this case? If it’s OK for to eat those foods and even sometimes a necessity, why the concern of finding such low amounts of nicotine in electronic cigarettes?

Studies

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC437758/

http://www.jbc.org/content/235/12/3536.full.pdf

Chile Health Ministry

The electronic cigarette arrived in Chile about a year ago. Since then, it has offered a smoking alternative for people who want to quit smoking. Given the attractiveness of the smoking cessation product, it began to sell quickly.

According to Health Minister Jaime Mañalich, while a traditional cigarette contains one to two milligrams of nicotine, the electronic cigarette contains 34 mg, i.e. a lethal dose. He adds that: “The electronic cigarette and other forms of smoking cessation products delivers large doses of nicotine with a very high risk of addiction.”

In view of this, the Health Ministry is preparing a new rule to prohibit the marketing of this product, and other manufactured smoking alternative, which will be published in October.

“We are preparing a ruling that will prohibit the sale of such devices in Chile, whether produced domestically or imported, so as not to mislead on all our youth,” said the minister.

Chile Jaime Mañalich also said: “We are only going to allow the distribution of some of these products with therapeutic indications, such as nicotine patches. But only through a medical indication and a consistent program to stop using cigarettes.”

Unlike the snuff, smoking alternative electronic cigarette contains no tar or carbon monoxide, only nicotine. According to the ‘Minsal’, that is the main problem.

Source. diario.latercera.com

Jamaica

Dr Pauline Williams-Green is a family physician and president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians. According to her, electronic cigarettes are dangerous and are just a gateway to nicotine addiction.

Dr Williams-Green said little information is available on electronic cigarette effects and they should be regulated. She quoted the infamous FDA laboratory studio that detected carcinogens and diethylene glycol.

Dr Pauline also said that the survey of electronic cigarette users published in BMC Public Health (JF Etter, 2010), suggests regular cigarette users are lured into trying electronic cigarettes in an effort to stop or reduce the use of analogs. She mentions that because of how they market the e-cigarette, it’s made to stop the habit.

Really sad news; an article like this misleads people to wrong conclusions about the electronic cigarette. No one has the slightest clue what they’re talking about. We can just keep hoping that a legitimate independent study on e-cigarettes could be done that didn’t involve the FDA.

Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com

Central Michigan University

In this fall, Central Michigan University will prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes anywhere inside the campus and residence halls.

“E-cigarettes will be treated as regular cigarettes. Until the issue of e-cigarettes is resolved by the FDA” said Shaun Holtgreive, associate director of Residence Life. Since they will be banned, they cannot be smoking within 25 feet of all campus buildings.

Holtgreive said the university decided to ban their use within campus buildings because research has shown they give off noxious chemicals in the vapor expelled when smoked.

I can’t help but think… don’t people ever get tired of the old lie from the FDA news release? How about doing a complete research on e-cigarettes rather than parroting the same shoddy, unbalanced, and lazy work.

State of Florida

After more than 80 customer complaints, the Florida Attorney General’s Office decided to investigate a South Florida electronic cigarettes seller.

According to state documents, the decision was made because of the following:

 The company failed to deliver the smoking alternative product
 The company made unauthorized charges to credit cards
 The company did not give credit to the affected costumers for the returned merchandise.

Last week, the Oregon Attorney General John Kroger reached an agreement with an electronic cigarette company, to stop the sales of the smoking alternative product in that state in regards to different allegations.

Such company did not provide evidence to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support claims that the e-cigarettes are a safer smoking alternative and so, it violated Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act, the state’s consumer law. 

Source: www.sun-sentinel.com

Cigarette Controversies

Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more debate over the electronic cigarettes and other smoking alternative or smokeless tobacco products. It’s really sad that people still don’t understand how this smoking alternative device works and still continues to lump vapers in the same category of smokers.

Here is a list of things anti-smokers group say about smokers and their habits, and I’ll proceed to point out how electronic cigarettes can help reduce or avoid the habit at all.

- Second hand smoke
The purpose of the ban on smoking in public places was to protect non-smokers. It was thus based on absolutely nothing! The psychosis began with the publication of a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which depends on the World Health Organization (WHO). The report released in 2002 says it is now proven that passive smoking carries serious health risks, but without showing the evidence. It’s everything but a scientific approach.

- How electronic cigarettes can help?
There is no second hand smoke in electronic cigarettes, just a water vapor which has none of the carcinogens in it.

- Litter
Non-smokers think the same about all smoking. They think all of the smokers flip their trash out the car window, throw their butts on the ground and so forth. To the eyes of non smokers, every single smoker seems to have the attitude that the world is their ashtray.

- How electronic cigarettes can help?
With electronic cigarettes, you don’t need an ashtray. You can’t really flip the e-cigarettes butt because that’s like throwing away $70 or $80 bucks.

- Blowing smoke all over the place
Here’s another that is associated with the first complaint-option, the second hand smoke. According to non-smokers group, they have to stand up the smell of smokers when they are in elevators and other situations. It that was the case, I guess then all stray animals should be sacrificed.

- How electronic cigarettes can help?
Why focus the attention on such a small group? Non smokers might want to pay attention to the emissions of the various power plants throughout the globe. Pollution is pollution!
All I can say is that It’s really easy to point fingers at one group of people when others are just as guilty! Electronic cigarettes are 100′s of times safer health wise than regular cigarettes. They are not a stop smoking product but a harm reduction product.

Midwest Vapefest

The Midwest Vapefest will be held at the Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites (400 South 14th Street St. Louis) from August 20 to August 22 2010. The Vapefest entry fee is $10 for Friday and $15 for Saturday, or you can go both days and pay $20.

The tickets will include access to the conference and the after party. For those who wish to stay both days, the rooms will be $99 a night ($140 – $150 regular rates). There is a parking fee for those who intend to drive.

There will be free wireless internet in the lobby and the conference room will be open Friday from 4:00 PM until 10:00 PM and Saturday from Noon until 10:00 PM. Just by purchasing the ticket, you will be allowed in the party at night which will be in conference room of the hotel.

There have been many people who have booked rooms since July 25th. There were many people who regretted not going to last year’s Vapefest so don’t miss this great event where electronic cigarette and e-juice vendors will be sponsoring and attending so you can meet your favorite vendors! And stay tuned for the Vegas Vapefest in 2011.

Electronic cigarettes in Chile

In Chile, the electronic cigarettes seem to be gaining popularity. Already more than 20,000 kits of electronic cigarettes have been sold in that country, despite concern that persists in the Ministry of Health (Minsa) which still studying a possible ban

Guillermo Maturana, a representative for South America Smoke Free says “I believe that it has sold nearly 20 000 kit and I think at least half of all people should be using it daily”. Smoke Free is a company that owns most of the national market of Chile for this product

However, the smoking alternative is not seen favorably by Minsal. According to the ministry, the electronic cigarette could also have carcinogens and not necessarily be a positive alternative to snuff. Dr. Marisol Acuña, the head of the Unit of Tobacco of Minsal (Chile), mentioned the study the FDA did on some samples of cartridges that diethylene glycol was founded, which lead to some countries banning the device (i.e. Panama)

Minsal explained that the product still studying and do not discard a possible ban of its distribution. Regarding the criticism of the smoking alternative, Maturana said it could be the fear of tobacco or of the State to fail to perceive the substantial revenues of traditional cigarette business. Guillermo Maturana projected that between 2010 and 2012 cigarette should reach a hundred thousand users in Chile.

Colombia

In Colombia, The National Institute of Food and Drug Monitoring (Invima) warned that it has not authorized the use of electronic cigarettes in Colombia. They also stated that this product has no therapeutic benefits.

For Invima the electronic cigarette is not a drug, because it does not meet the characteristics set forth in Decree 677 of 1995, where medicine is defined as: “The pharmaceutical preparation made from active ingredients, with or without auxiliary substances, presented under pharmaceutical forms to be used for the prevention, mitigation, diagnosis, treatment, cure and rehabilitation of the disease. Containers, labels and packaging are an integral part of the drug, how they guarantee their quality, stability and proper use. ”

This will not be the only organization that does not qualify electronic cigarettes as a medicine, the famous FDA analysis, were two brands of electronic cigarettes both have found that nicotine, nitrosamines and other products such as diethylene glycol. Also ANMAT (Argentina Health Authority) does not endorse or authorize electronic cigarettes imported.

Even the European Community, through a statement of May 22, 2008, reported that the electronic cigarette not be considered under the snuff products. While the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement it believes that cigarette use is not a nicotine replacement therapy that has proven efficacy, and added later that there is no evidence that electronic cigarettes are safe and or help smokers quit.

It’s easy to see why the public is so misguided. Electronic cigarettes since the beginning have been considered as an alternative to smoking because they don’t contain as many chemicals as regular analogs, and this has been scientifically proven.