Tobacco.org

Opposing view: A much-needed alternative 

By the time you're done reading this column, combustible tobacco smoking will claim four more American lives — and a total of 440,000 lives this year.

Electronic cigarettes — battery-operated products that deliver an inhalable nicotine vapor — offer a much needed alternative. . . .

Electronic cigarettes are not drugs, nor are they sold to cure any disease or affliction. Therefore, the FDA has no authority to regulate or ban them as drug-delivery devices.

But by attempting to mislabel them as medical devices, the FDA wants to force manufacturers to spend as much as $1.5 billion on clinical research, drug trials and FDA fees for potential marketplace approval. We are not large drug companies capable of this type of investment, and the FDA knows it.

President Obama just signed a landmark law giving the FDA authority to regulate virtually all aspects of tobacco products. We understand that to protect the public, some form of regulation may be necessary and would welcome regulation under the new and more reasonable authority. This process wouldn't take us off the shelf or cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and would still provide necessary safeguards. Our goal is to guarantee access for committed smokers who want the freedom of the clear alternative that e-cigarettes offer and ensure that minors do not have access to our products.

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Debate on public health - Our opinion: E-cigarettes pose risks  

All the public has to go on now is the word of the product's marketers. Before consumers inhale something that gives them "vapes" of highly addictive nicotine, they might want an independent authority testing the product to see what's in it.

But soon after the Food and Drug Administration tried to assert its authority over e-cigarettes by detaining some shipments at the border, two distributors sued, claiming that the FDA has no power to regulate the product as a drug-delivery device.

While both sides await a federal judge's ruling, e-cigarettes are on the market (kits with the e-cigarette and nicotine cartridges generally sell for $70 to $150). And contrary to the old adage, what you don't know can hurt you. Among the reasons to be wary:

— Most e-cigarettes are made in China . . .

— Despite protests from the Electronic Cigarette Association that its members don't make claims about helping smokers quit, plenty of sellers make far more outrageous health claims. In recent weeks, one marketer claimed e-cigarettes reduce the risk of heart disease and touted an endorsement by a physician-and-nurses group. Another website, which says it reviews e-cigarettes, went them one better: It claims, based on a 1942 study, that an ingredient in e-cigarettes could prevent flu and other respiratory diseases.

It is conceivable e-cigarettes might be a valuable tool for weaning some smokers away from a deadly habit. But without the testing and clinical trials opposed by marketers and their allies, no one will ever know.

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Electronic Cigarette Site Locates Best Deals for the Popular Product 

With all of the brands of e cigarettes on the market, deciding which one to buy can be confusing.

E Cigarettes Junction, an online shopping site, has made the process of finding what they call the "right deal" on e cigarettes online. The company is based in California and does not sell or produce e cigarettes, but is a site that finds the best deals for potential e cigarette buyers from the United States.

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Electronic Cigarette Association Urges Unbiased Evaluation of E-cigarettes as Debate Intensifies Around These Devices  

As the debate heats up concerning the use of electronic cigarettes, Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA) President Matt Salmon today encouraged those involved in this discussion to carefully and honestly study how these devices work and recognize that the more than one million adult committed smokers, who use electronic cigarettes, are seeking an alternative to combustible cigarettes that contain a multitude of toxic, harmful chemicals.

The debate on these devices has intensified in recent months as events have fueled and focused attention on electronic cigarettes, including a front-page story last week and a follow-up editorial in yesterday's edition of USA Today and stories or editorials in other major newspapers such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Governor Schwarzenegger's veto of a bill that would have denied California citizens the right to purchase electronic cigarettes and a warning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on a flawed, narrow study have also contributed to the growing debate.

"Unfortunately, many of the arguments we've seen recently against electronic cigarettes have been driven by fear of the unknown, insufficient evidence, political agendas, and ignorance about our members' products," said Salmon. "As in the case of California Governor Schwarzenegger, we've found that reasonable people, when willing to honestly and intellectually evaluate the information about electronic cigarettes, find that these products provide smokers a viable alternative to combustible tobacco cigarettes."

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• Philip Morris In Negotiations With Original E-Cigarette Company 

What many e-cigarette users have feared from day one could be in the works: Philip Morris, the biggest maker of tobacco cigarettes in the United States, has been discovered to be in negotiations with Ruyan Group, which manufactured the original e-cigarette starting in 2005. A short news article on Quamnet.com states the seriousness of the matter:

"Ruyan Group said that an agreement between the Company and Philip Morris International Management S.A. could not be reached on matters relating to the co-operation between them on its "electronic cigarettes" by the end of the first and exclusive phase of negotiations."

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Cheap Electronic Cigarettes Owner Interviewed By Bestselling Anti-Smoking Author. 

by The Economist as a "solidly researched, interesting and only occasionally strident book" He also runs one of the world’s best blogs which discusses issues of health and liberty, with a particular focus on smoking, alcohol and food. As part of his on-going campaign to highlight these important areas electronic cigarettes caught his eye.

Chris reported on ASH UK all but backing electronic cigarettes and has now had the chance to interview the owner of the UK’s largest online retailer of electronic cigarettes (http://www.cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk) to find out about the current state of the electronic cigarette industry and what to expect in the future.

"We felt that it was important that we worked with Chris as he is, without question, a great talent and bestselling author which makes him a very good route to getting some mainstream media about electronic cigarettes. I read his work and he always researches information in great detail and consistently provides an unbiased and sensible viewpoint which is important for our industry."

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The truth about electronic cigarettes  

The country that gave us killer dog food, corrosive drywall, lead-based toys, and poisonous toothpaste. Now has a new surprise for you. It's a mystery chemical...completely unregulated. You buy it, vaporize it, and suck it into your lungs.

And it's right here in Tucson where some fear your kids could get hold of it. Nine on your side investigator Dan Spindle takes a look.

Smokers, lighting up in the middle of the Foothills Mall, it raises more than a few eyebrows...... But what looks like smoke, is actually a vapor ... Like the kind you might see coming out of a fog machine.

This vapor is from the latest electronic cigarette to hit the market which has the green light to be sold at malls all over Arizona. These e-cigarettes save smokers the smell and high prices of traditional smokes.

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MOHEN: Renewing an old addiction 

Envision five years from now teachers telling students not to vaporize tobacco.

However unlikely this scenario may seem now, vaporized cigarettes will become a well-known and warned-against product in the near future. . . .

Hardly any tests or evidence have been conducted on the smokeless cigarettes, establishing a strong caution amongst health officials of the product, but no regulation from the FDA.

With its increasing popularity, the FDA holds a responsibility to the American people to conduct greater research into the E-Cigarette and the true effects it has on users.

Strict regulations must be imposed on the device to prevent its trendy appeal from influencing the young and old alike who do not need to become hooked on such an equally, if not more, addictive version of the common cigarette.

According to a representative from ECigarettesChoice.com, Electronic Cigarettes are unavailable to minors across the country as they contain nicotine.

However, this does not mean kids and teens are unable to get their hands on the tobacco gadget.

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Electric Cigarettes are the Gift of Freedom 

These days, most cities in North America and even around the world have banned smoking in pubs and restaurants. For several decades smoking on public transportation has been banned which has been a serious thorn in the side for many smokers on long flights. Even as we speak, some governments are looking to ban smoking even more and soon parks, bus stations, and even city streets will be off limits to smokers. Here is where Green Smoke electric cigarettes save the day.

Because these battery powered devices release no smoke into the air, smokers can be free to enjoy them anywhere. Imagine enjoying an electric cigarette while sharing a few pints with friends at the local pub or sitting down to a smoke and any smoker will tell you it’s like they’ve got their freedom back.

Electronic cigarettes are this holiday season’s gift of choice for smokers, so don’t waste time. Quantities are limited

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• E Cigarettes May Be More Effective Than Swine Flu Vaccine  

According to the Centers for Disease Control, during 2000-2004, "An estimated 443,000 persons in the United States died prematurely each year from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. During 2001-2004, the average annual smoking-attributable health-care expenditures nationwide were approximately $96 billion. When combined with productivity losses of $97 billion, the total economic burden of smoking is approximately $193 billion per year."

Comparing the health risks of tobacco smoking to the Swine Flu brings out some interesting and thought provoking statistics. According to President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology on H1N1, "A plausible scenario is that the epidemic could cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the United States." That puts the comparison of real deaths of 443,000 smokers to a "war games guess" of 30,000 to 90,000 for the H1N1 influenza for which the government recently declared a Health Emergency. That declaration and the shortage of the H1N1 vaccine has caused a panic in the U.S.

No study or statistic has been offered that points to the Swine Flu as being more deadly than tobacco cigarettes in causing death, yet a disproportional effort in preventative measures are currently being channeled to defend against a lower risk health issue. Toxic tobacco smoke contains many additional chemicals, including carbon monoxide and tar which is a sticky substance that accumulates in the lungs, causing lung cancer and respiratory distress. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world and is responsible for more than 5 million deaths each year.

What the flu vaccine is to H1N1 as a preventative, the electronic cigarette may be for the tobacco smoker. An electronic cigarette is a futuristic advancement in science

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• New Study Reveals Quitting Smoking is Good but Switching to Low-risk Nicotine Products is Usually Better 

Prof. Carl V. Phillips, just published in Harm Reduction Journal, shows that for most smokers, immediately switching to a low-risk alternative will lower their risk of dying from their habit more than quitting eventually, even if they use the smoke-free product for the rest of their lives. . . .

Professor Phillips is an epidemiologist and health policy researcher, journal editor, popular educator, and consultant. He and his work group are leading advocates of tobacco harm reduction, and he advises and works with many other organizations who are trying to promote it, some of which are companies that hope to profit from selling low-risk nicotine products. The www.TobaccoHarmReduction.org research group at the University of Alberta School of Public Health is partially supported by an unrestricted (completely hands-off) grant from U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. No funder, company, or other organization played any role in initiating, designing, or conducting this research.

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Anti-Smoking Groups Attack the Electronic Cigarette 

What started as a noble cause with lobbying groups like the American Cancer Society, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and Mother's Against Drunk Driving, is now morphing into a multi headed monster as they became a victim of their own success. Both have campaigned and succeeded in getting stricter laws on drunk drivers and smoking which most all of us applaud. They don't seem to be satisfied with just protecting the victims any more. They are now taking aim at personal freedom as they move to control your behavior even when your behavior in public or private is not harmful to anyone else. . . .

Several anti-smoking groups are going after this product to be included in bans instead of embracing it as a better product than tobacco cigarettes. These groups may be following the misguided propaganda being put out by special interest organizations that have an allegiance to the big business of pharmaceuticals and tobacco. The electronic cigarette produces no second-hand combustion smoke because there is no combustion. The tobacco companies don't make e cigarettes and probably don't care much for their existence.

This unconscionable behavior from "people who are supposed to care" makes Kyle Newton, owner of eCigarettesChoice.com, take a step back in disbelief. "I lost my mom, her sister and my grandmother to cigarette related deaths within the last six years. I just wished e cigarettes could have been available a long time ago. If I didn't believe in this product, I wouldn't be so adamant about promoting it."

One organization that shows no particular allegiance to special interest money is Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). In their October 2009 briefing, ASH in the United Kingdom released a favorable position on electronic cigarettes which is the exact opposite position taken by a few the control groups in the United States.

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Electronic Cigarette Smokers Are Smoking Less Even Quiting [sic] Nicotine. 

Smoke Power Inc, ask there clients recently about there smoking habits with the new Smoke Power Pro. The response is surprising considering all the hoopla about Nicotine Addiction and the ever rising concern in regards to electronic cigarettes being addictive.

But when discussed with users about how this product helps them its clear electronic cigarettes are helping people quit tobacco and nicotine altogether.

One customer reported about her horrible addiction to tobacco cigarettes for over 25 years and how sick she was until she started smoking her e-cig. Doris has been fighting chronic bronchitis for a very long time and her doctor recommended that she quit with a pill. She tried that and it make her depressed and had really bad side effects. So many failed tries to just cut down or find something that actually works.

The day she started her electronic cigarette she noticed how much better she felt.

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The continuing rising cost of cigarettes forces more users onto electronic cigarettes 

Cheap electronic cigarettes (http://www.cheap-electronic-cigarettes.co.uk) is attributing part of its continually impressive sales figures of electronic cigarettes to the increasing cost of tobacco cigarettes.

Every budget the Chancellor announces another tax hike of tobacco and as a 20 pack now exceeds £5.60 cigarette smokers are switching to an electronic cigarette to save money and get healthy. Around the UK garages and supermarkets are slowly increasing the cost, some of them quoting that the increase is ‘to help smokers quit’.

“Electronic cigarettes are a great alternative to smoking and really allows users to control their nicotine intake rather that with uncontrollable products like gum and patches. Our cartridges come in different strength and flavours so a smoker can easily wean themselves off of nicotine.”

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• Vaporized Propylene Glycol, a Key Ingredient in Electronic Cigarettes, May Prevent Pneumonia, Influenza, and Other Respiratory Diseases 

The ingredients in most electronic cigarette cartridges manufactured today include propylene glycol, nicotine, and a flavoring. The 1942 study by Dr. Oswald Hope Robertson of the University of Chicago's Billings Hospital showed that Propylene glycol, the most prevalent ingredient in electronic cigarette cartridges, was found to possibly prevent pneumonia, influenza, and other respiratory diseases when vaporized and inhaled.

Additional studies in monkeys and other animals were undertaken to determine long-term effects, especially the potential for accumulation in the lungs. After a few months of treatment, no ill effects were discovered.

Smokers can enjoy all the engrained habits of smoking; hand-to-mouth, throat hit, visual smoke, nicotine delivery, with none of the negative effects of inhaling the dangerous smoke

Now the electronic cigarette may not only help individuals to reduce and quit smoking regular cigarettes, but it also may help to prevent some of the respiratory diseases caused by the harmful "cancer sticks". Additionally with the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus expected to cause a record number of deaths this season there is no better time for smokers to cut back or quit with the aid of the electronic cigarette.

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