Editors Note:
There appears to be considerable interest regarding CRE’s background, please see http://www.thecre.com/tpsac/?p=1132
Given the very large public response to this post, CRE will analyze the comments and prepare a White Paper for transmittal to the FDA.
TPSAC and CTR have a lot on their agenda but eventually they are going to have to develop an algorithm for addressing the “reduced harm” provisions of the new tobacco statute. In doing so they will have to be mindful of the applicability of the Data Quality Act to the resultant proceedings. Smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes will be two issues leading the parade.
Emily Sohn–Discovery News
THE GIST
- As New York considers becoming the first state to ban electronic cigarettes, debate surrounds the devices and their safety.
- Critics worry that e-cigarettes will attract kids and create a new generation of nicotine addicts.
- The devices, which are tobacco-free, may be a safer alternative to cigarettes, say advocates.
Electronic cigarettes are handheld nicotine-delivery devices that, despite a devoted following, are currently swirling in controversy.
New York is pushing to become the first state to ban the devices, which so far remain unregulated and mostly unstudied. With cutesy colors, fruity flavors, clever designs and other options, e-cigarettes may hold too much appeal for young people, critics warn, offering an easy gateway to nicotine addiction.
But those criticisms clash with equally strong arguments for the value of e-cigarettes. The devices, which are tobacco-free, may be a safer alternative to cigarettes, say advocates, who point to testimonials from thousands of smokers who say they have used e-cigarettes to help them quit.
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration struggles to gain regulatory control, and as safety studies remain works in progress, the debate continues.
“There really are a lot of unknowns with respect to health,” said Prue Talbot, a toxicologist at the University California, Riverside. “I don’t know of any studies in the literature which are peer-reviewed. Almost all of the studies have been paid for by the e-cigarette companies.
“E-cigarettes are often sold as safe, which is probably not true,” Talbot added. “They may not be as dangerous as real cigarettes, but on the other hand, they could be. We just don’t know.”
Electronic cigarettes typically use a rechargeable battery-operated heating element to vaporize the nicotine in a replaceable cartridge. Nicotine is usually dissolved in propylene glycol, a clear and colorless liquid that is commonly found in inhalers, cough medicines and other products.
Some e-cigarettes are made to look like real cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Others look like pens or USB memory devices. There is no tobacco involved, and no smoke either. Instead, users do what’s called “vaping.” As they inhale, they take in nicotine-filled vapor.
By isolating nicotine, e-cigarettes should carry far fewer chemical risks than regular cigarettes, said Michael Siegel, a tobacco researcher at Boston University. Tobacco contains about 5,000 known chemicals, he said, with as many as 100,000 more that haven’t yet been identified. E-cigarettes eliminate many of those ingredients.
Siegel and a colleague reviewed 16 studies that analyzed the contents of electronic cigarettes. In a paper just published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, they reported that levels of certain harmful chemicals were on par with levels found in nicotine patches and hundreds of times lower than what’s found in cigarettes.
The researchers also found evidence that vaping reduces cravings among smokers, not just for nicotine but also for the need to hold something in their hands and put something in their mouths — making the devices more appealing to them than patches or gum.
As a cigarette-quitting strategy, Siegel compared e-cigarettes to heroin needle exchange programs. It’s not that the devices are good for anyone, he said. They are just better than what they’re meant to replace.
“The relevant question is not, ‘Are these things safe?'” he said. “But are these things much safer than real cigarettes, and do they help people quit smoking? The answer to both of those questions we know is yes.”
“What New York is doing is equivalent to outlawing lifeboats on a sinking ship because they haven’t been FDA approved,” he added. “It’s a really crazy approach to public health.”
For other experts, the list of unknowns is still too large for them to consider e-cigarettes worth recommending. Some users, Talbot said, have reported problems with their lungs and throats that have forced them to stop using the devices.
And even though industry-funded studies have deemed the devices to be safe, an FDA report found levels of carcinogens and toxic contaminants that they determined to be were worthy of concern. Without regulation, Talobt added, cartridges may contain undisclosed chemicals that could end up being more toxic than tobacco smoke.
Quality control is also lacking. In a recent study, Talbot evaluated six brands of e-cigarettes acquired over the Internet. None of the devices were labeled clearly with nicotine levels, expiration dates or other information, she reported in December in the journal Tobacco Control.
Most cartridges leaked onto her hands, the study found, and all were defective in some way. Talbot also found unsubstantiated health claims on many of the company websites and print materials. One says they put vitamins in their e-cigarettes.
Other experts worry about the appeal of e-cigarettes to children. The devices are easy to buy online or in mall kiosks. They come in flavors ranging from chocolate to bubble gum. You can buy them in pink, gold or blue.
“Once a youth has decided to try an e-cigarette, there is nothing that protects him from getting addicted to nicotine by puffing this product,” wrote Jonathan Winickoff, a pediatrician at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, in a letter to the FDA. “Nicotine itself is not safe for children. Nicotine addiction is one of the hardest addictions to break.”
New York’s move is a reaction to what can’t yet happen on the national level. According to a series of recent court decisions, e-cigarettes cannot qualify as drug delivery products, said Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the FDA. As a result, the agency cannot ban them or require more arduous testing.
But even though they are now considered tobacco products, they are not mentioned in the Tobacco Control Act, either. For now, then, they remain unapproved and unregulated.
And anyone is free to buy them.
I can only agree with all the statements made about the benefits with replacing regular cigarettes with the e-cig. I would be lost without mine and wish they were available when I first became a smoker.
As for the issue of children getting them, I think that once the ban scare is put to rest you will find these devices in stores where they can be regulated.
I wouldn’t want to put out all the cash needed to open a vaping store. The internet is much cheaper for setting up your business.
Also, aren’t parents supposed to be monitoring what their children are doing on the internet? I think using children to get something banned is chicken.
It all boils down to the big tobacco companies are not making money. Start marketing your own, people will buy them-problem solved.
The simple truth is, smokers now have a truly miraculous invention that will get them off of cigarettes, and my government wants to ban it.
I honestly believe the entire world could be free of smoking in five years if vaping were applauded and encouraged by the FDA and the anti-smoking groups, yet they are doing everything they can to ban them.
I understand that government agencies are more interested in protecting their income from taxes, and lobbyists for Big Tobacco and Big Pharma than the health of the people, but what the hell is wrong with the anti-smoking groups?
Encourage the use of e-cigarettes, and the regular cigarettes you despise will soon be a thing of the past. Help us, don’t fight against us.
I, like many of these other folks, was a pack a day, 20+ year smoker and tried the patch, gum, chantix, and nicotrol inhaler with no success. I quit smoking almost 6 months ago using a personal vaporizer and have never felt better. My doctor approves as well as my father, also a doctor. My smoking related asthma has pretty much disappeared, and I have not felt this good since I was in high school. This product needs to stay legal.
After a pack-a-day habit for almost 40 years, I am a convert to e-cigs for almost two years now.
In the “tried-that” pile: Chantix, nicotine gum, Nicotrol inhaler, patches, Wellbutrin. All worthless as one might deduce from their pathetic 6% success rate.
Along comes a device that is stunningly simple: the e-cigarette. Delivering nicotine (or not – your choice) in a vapor along with propylene glycol (studied to death) and common flavorings. Percent of quitters using e-cigs: something amazing like 79-80% success.
So what does the government do? You know, the government that’s so concerned over our health? Tries to stop e-cigs, that’s what! “We don’t want you using this amazing and successful device! We want you back on the failed 6% success rate patch, gum, etc…! We don’t actually care if you start smoking again…it’s all part of our game to keep getting money and funding!”
As an aside, nicotine is not the devil. It’s about as harmful to you as caffeine.
Leave e-smokers alone. There are so many priggish, self-righteous nannies around dictating what people should do. E-cigs have been a lifesaver for so many people, myself included. Why can’t you people go pick on someone else? We’re removed everything from smoking that could possibly offend your delicate sensibilities until there’s nothing left to complain about, and it’s still not enough. Clearly, it will never be enough!
I smoked roll ups – paper, tobacco, no filter for 13 years. 30 a day. I found electronic cigarettes by accident. I no longer use tobacco to get my nicotine, I inhale vapour, not smoke.
I feel so much better after a year of e-smoking. A new man.
To ban these wonderful devices is like banning diet soda. Just out of interest, when is the ban on smoking tobacco going to be announced? We all know that tobacco smoke kills, my father was a victim of it.
I too was a pack a day, if not a little more, smoker for 20 years. This has been the best thing for me and my family.
I also feel that all the good things that come from quiting smoking completely outweigh the known fact that nicotine is still bad for you. That being said, I am only giving myself nicotine, nobody else. Since I am no longer smoking real cigarettes, I am no longer making others around me take in my second hand smoke and having to smell the awful odor of smoking a real cigarette.
This government simply throws tax money away in most cases. You would think that something like this that would decrease medical costs and benefit the people that used it, they would put up the funds for FDA or other agencies that wan to test it. Allocate the tax revenue from real tobacco tax and funnel it to these tests.. simple. Yet with our government NOTHING is simple. Everyone in our government has to make things so difficult that nothing gets done for probably 10 years from now. Meanwhile if NY state succeeds, the people will suffer and I can only imagine that other states will follow.
I am 45 years old, started smoking at age 12…so that makes 34 years with this monkey on my back. I tried quitting over the years…too many times to count and never more than 3 months at a time. Even when I was pregnant with my daughter in 1984 I couldn’t quit. (Back then you could still smoke in your hospital room, even on the maternity ward.)
I discovered e cigarettes when my step-son had back surgery. The rest of the family tried them, and I found that this is MY answer. I have not smoked for 33 days and I already feel like a new woman.
I can breathe, walk up a flight of stairs, have more stamina, no more coughing and hacking…and no withdrawals! As I am a chronic pain patient with a degenerative nervous system disabilty, I know I do need to move to zero nicotine, which is my goal. I have already come down from 24 mg to 11 mg in only 33 days!
I really hope that your eyes are opened to how important e cigs are to the smoking community. I’d hate to think that the ‘Second Class Citizen’ status smokers live with isn’t carried over to the Vaping world. We don’t smoke because we WANT to, we smoke because cigarettes have additives in them to quickly addict you.
Please be sure of your facts before you print another article or ‘reasons’ because it is obvious to any ‘Vaper’ that your got it wrong. Spend more time on research instead of here-say! This is MY life you’re screwing with!
It seems like e cigs is starting to make some noise..where chewing gum, pills, stickers and all that mess couldn’t…. Its
Funny how manufactured foods and OTC drugs have to label there ingredients but I have yet to see a box of regular cigarettes label there deadly poisons. You know its obvious that the FDA is getting paid under the table.
“Critics worry that e-cigarettes will attract kids and create a new generation of nicotine addicts” THATS BUNK!
yeah well they said the same thing about the condom…bottom line is if condoms can prevent an std or an unwanted pregnancy an e-cig can lower the risk of things like lung cancer and Emphysema
I am sorry. I am tired of our goverment control everything I do. I am almost 40 year old woman. The goverment has not trouble taking my money off cig to pay for programs. They have no problems increasing the taxes everytime they need something. The tobaco companies knew they were poisoning us. To keep us addicting to smoking. To feed the goverment and tax money pit. You can not advise a person to come off adiction without giving all choices of how to do it. FDA does not care about us. They have no problems shipping foods from other countries to us. Millions of people get sick each year. Stop blaming us smoker for costing health care million of dollars. All the people that have died from smoking a cigerate. I guess the goverment did not care about the money they took. It was our choice to lite up those cancer sticks. Now it our time to choices something else. The FDA needs to back away.
The FDA is in the Big Tobacco and Big Pharmas pants big time, you think you are seeing revolts in other countries hahahah wait till this thing shows how on the take Gov’t officials are when this thing comes to a head. It’s really ashame that the FDA is being controled by the giant corporations of America who is now deciding what we can stick in our mouth or not. they want to outlaw these ecigs but what happnes when there used without Nicotine ? hahahah it just goes to show that the drug is being controlled by the tobacco and big pharma killing people with cigarettes and they don’t want to lose there ability to kill and both treat people with cancer because the combination is making them so much money they want to ban the use of ecigs which will only take money out of both of there pockets, it’s called Lobbiest and paying people off, wake up America, smell your coffee and use your ecig to screw big Pharma and the Tobacco companies its time someone new in the world gets to make some money so sleep on this..!!!
Thank you for discussing Siegel’s findings. I’m a former smoker current vaper.
I designed and built my own Personal Vaporizer from parts bought locally. With this homemade device, I quit smoking cigarettes in 6 hours. TBH, I had little desire to quit smoking. But after 6 hours using only the vaping device, I tried to smoke my normal brand of cigarette (Marlboro Reds) and found it tasted awful and made me feel ill. I put it out right away. It’s been 5 days and it is still sitting in the ashtray on my desk. I can stare at it; I’m not even tempted by it. I haven’t touched one since.
In 5 days, my sense of taste has improved 200%, I can’t even describe the smells that have come back to me. It’s like getting your first pair of eyeglasses!
More importantly, I my 3 year battle with Gastroesophageal Reflux has been won. GER increased my thirst to the point that I’m literally always drinking. It would cause me to vomit a foamy, dark-brown-striped white mucous if a) there was a drastic change in temperature, b) I engaged in aerobic activity (like rushing to work in the AM – I’m in my early 20’s), c) I did not drink water immediately after waking up and while I’m smoking, d) I drank alcohol. Sometimes, I would just have to vomit out of nowhere, just sitting down doing nothing; GER is horrible!
Since I have been vaping (5 days), the effects – usually heightened in winter – have diminished drastically. I suspect that, in time, they will be gone altogether. The difference is so drastic that I would have been just as happy with an expensive prescribed treatment for GER Disease.
If you smoke and you are reading this, do you feel like there is always some kind of blockage in the far reaches of your nasal cavity? Do any of my symptoms sound familiar? Look up GERD on the internet! My doctor apparently didn’t know about it because his “humidifier in the bedroom” solution did little to nothing to help.
As far as regulation is concerned, I vaporize US Pharmacopoeia (USP) grade Propylene Glycol, Glycerin and Nicotine mixed with natural flavorings approved for consumption by the FDA. It seems to me the FDA has already done its job by regulating the purity of the ingredients. I am more than prepared to deal with allergies and flavor-inhaling risks on my own.
Nicotine is NOT a scheduled drug. It can be purchased freely in unlimited quantities in the US. Tobacco products are a different animal because of the KNOWN, PROVEN HEALTH RISKS directly resulting from intended use.
As far as new smokers being drawn to the product, it’s hard enough to get an already nicotine-craving individual to try the device. To most, sucking on an electric straw all day is not a hip notion. Moreover, the most popular and effective devices used aren’t even advertised in the media! If you are a non-smoker and you like the idea of vaping, I recommend you try it!!! I also recommend that you buy your flavored liquid NICOTINE FREE. It’s called freedom and it’s that easy.
We need to double-check the legislation in place to keep Nicotine out of America’s children. I wholeheartedly agree with this. If any supplier is caught selling nicotine, in any form, to a minor, I believe there should be severe penalties (to more than outweigh the increase in sales).
Aside from these things, let’s study it scientifically so that we can fix any problems with the device. The electronic cigarette is a great way to study nicotine in a new light. But, the FDA can’t make “2” an unscheduled substance and “2” a legal device and then declare “4” illegal when we put “2” and “2” together.
I’m sorry, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma; save your lobbying money!!! You’ve already lost this one. Worse case I see, legally speaking, Nicotine liquids are taxed. IMO, that’s a small price to pay to know that the number of carcinogens I’m inhaling every day has gone WAY DOWN.
After smoking 2 packs of tobacco cigarettes a day for over 45 years, I had open-heart surgery and was left with 1/3 of my heart. Of course I quit smoking but, patches, nicotine gum and lozenges really never made up for the loss of my very favorite (albeit unhealthy) habit. I really missed having a cigarette with my morning coffee (after hacking for 30 minutes or so), smoking after meals, during reading, while watching TV at home, at social gatherings, driving, when problems occurred, after sex, during gambling, at work, etc.
After years of frustration with the likes of nicotine patches, gum and finally lozenges (I was up to 8-9 – 4mg lozenges – 32-36mg per day) and still unsatisfied and unhappy… I heard about e-cigarettes.
I ended up getting a Joyetech eGo vaping device as the “smoking” part was way more important to me than the e-cigarette’s appearance. With little practical experience with vaping, after receiving my eGo I immediately started “smoking”.
WOW! What a feeling! I can’t be begin to describe the massive relief it was to be able to “smoke” again. Suffice to say that I never wanted to quit smoking, but due to the harm it was causing me… I had no choice. Now my life seemed to start up again and I began to realize just how much I had missed smoking and how much more I could now enjoy life.
After a couple of months friends and associates began to mention to me that I “looked better” and had “better color” and didn’t have the “stink of tobacco”. My wife, who never smoked a single cigarette, was overjoyed as I was, but for different reasons. She no longer had to put up with the smell in the house, car, and clothing (plus second-hand smoke). No more cleaning up ashes, dealing with frustrating furniture and carpet burns. But, most important to her was my lack of coughing, incessant griping about not being able to smoke, not breathing well… plus, my general happiness levels were through the roof. I “smoke” as much as I used to and have used it for a long time and the device is still working fine with no problems.
The FDA trying to ban e-cigarettes is not suprising to me as the Government has long been known to protect its sources of political funding much more than the general public’s safety or well-being (i.e. big tobacco, big pharma, etc.). It seems only logical that e-juice needs to be regulated in some fashion due to the nicotine content. However, there is absolutely no justification for Customs under a discredited (by U.S. Federal Court) FDA directive to seize e-cigarette component shipments that contain no e-juice. That they are still doing this is clear evidence of their disregard of Federal Court rulings and the general public’s health and safety.
Of course the FDA still allows deadly tobacco products and ineffective gum, patches and lozenges to be freely marketed along with many pharmaceutical products that have killed many people before being removed from the marketplace. Not a really strong track record for a government body is it? The FDA itself should be “banned” from its interference in the e-cigarette harm reduction industry. Didn’t a federal Appeals Court do just that on December 7th and later on December 24?
I smoked 2 or 3 PAD until I was 60. I can’t remember when I started but I know I was hooked before I was 15. I haven’t had a cigarette since Oct. 1 2010 thanks to the electronic cigarette. I feel much better and have saved money. I tried to quit on too many occasions to count and tried everything except snus and chantrix. It wasn’t even hard to do with this device.
I’m not surprised that the FDA is doing it’s best to do the opposite of the right thing, it just what an out of control and corrupt part of our gov. seems to do these days. Follow the money. It’s so plain to see. If anything ever needed to be banned it’s cigarettes but that’s not going to happen. Too much money involved. The FDA can try to ban this proven method of reduced harm but it won’t work, just create a new black market. I already build my own PV’s and mix my own juice. So do a lot of other people.
I’ve been using e-cigs for over two years, and mostly stopped smoking real tobacco (something I’ve NEVER been able to do before) within a few weeks of finding e-cigs. My health has improved as a result. I have effectively “switched brands” to an e-cig. As an adult (ex) smoker, I am angry that groups like the FDA and the American Lung Association, through their actions appear to be trying to force me back to cigarettes.
I don’t understand this rubbish from people like Jonathan Winickoff about e-cigs and children. Is there any evidence *at all* that children are buying e-cigs? They are quite expensive up front, a major obstacle. And besides they don’t look as “cool” as a Marlboro… In any case I don’t know any reputable vendors who would sell to children.
It goes with saying that tobacco products should not be sold to children, and a legal framework to ensure that e-cigs should not be sold to children is entirely reasonable. These are not for children. Neither are cigarettes or NRT products.
I would point out that children can easily get hold of candy flavoured NRT products like Nicorette if they wish. But wait – they are FDA approved right, and backed by big Pharma who make a ton of money out of it (and who really stand to lose out if e-cigs take off in a big way). We know what’s really going on.
I smoked a pack a day for 27 years. When I first got my ecig, I was not even trying to quit. I got it so I could use it places where I could not smoke. I found it to be a very viable substitute for smoking and soon found that I prefered it to tobaco. I have had my ecig for about 3 months now and have been tobaco free for about 2.5 months. I feel noticably better and I am very thankful that I discovered ecigs.
Ecigs are NOT smoking cession devices. They are a smoking substitute. I am now tobaco free, but not nicotine free. Since the nicotine is one of the least harmful things in cigarettes, I am still far better off with ecigs than with tobaco.
Most of the vendors that I deal with have either a disclaimer on their site or they have a button to push that will allow those over 18 onto their site. I think the biggest fear is that the internet makes it easier for those under 18 to buy personal vaporizers. Unlike real life where one is carded when buying a pack of cigarettes, this is really tough on the internet. The only way around it that I see is for vendors to keep doing what they are doing. If they have a customer that is a suspected minor, then they can investigate further and if need be cut them off as well as spread the word to other vendors about the individual. You also have to consider that in real life, minors get their hands on the real thing by producing false identification cards, so it is still the same.
Personally, I originally started vaping to replace the cigarettes because my program administrator was allergic to cigarette smoke. Since then, I have dropped the amount of nicotine drastically…but at the same time have also experienced more pain levels with my fibromyalgia. Am I likely to go back to the real cigarettes….NO WAY. Now I can’t stand the way they smell.
I think the FDA needs to work with the medical community and reinvestigate exactly what the medical benefits and what doses of nicotine are beneficial and then go from that point.
FDA….you have a long history of jumping before looking, on this issue, before forcing people back to something that is more harmful, please look very closely before jumping.
“Only the dose separates a drug from a toxin and a therapeutic effect from a toxic effect” Be sure you don’t rule just because there is a toxic effect of nicotine. If that were the case then almost ALL medications (OTC and prescription) would have to be thrown out and medical drug science would be forced to go back to the dark ages.
All of the points above and comments below are good ones.. I would like to see a good study done on the effects of long term use of the E Cigarette and enforcement of the age restrictions now in place for the “analog” cigarettes and other tobacco products.. as for me I have quit cigarettes after 40 pack year history using the E Cigarette.. am I still addicted to nicotine? Yes.. but I am cutting down the strength of the carts I buy and hope to go to zero nicotine.. I equate using the E Cigarette to using the patch or nicotine gum or drops.. I do not use the E Cigarette in public places or around my grandchildren.. and last point.. I started off using tobacco flavored carts and quickly went to other flavors.. equate this to buying different flavors of gum or candy.. I do not believe the E Cigarette is being marketed to underage youth but do not see any extra effort made by the internet suppliers to confirm age at the time of purchase or upon delivery.. I can only hope any regulation of the E Cigarette is fair and balanced and done with the understanding that this product has helped many many people quit burning tobacco.. me included
If you’ve read through all of the comments posted, you’ll see that vapers are a very passionate group. That being said…
You can dismiss the anecdotal evidence.
You can throw around scare tactices.
You can shield your views behind the children.
Vapers aren’t going anywhere. We KNOW what the devices have done for us and we are not giving them up without a fight.
Legislators, for every person that posts a comment like the ones here, there are thousands that don’t post. There are even more who don’t use PV’s, but have loved ones who do. If you really think that you can dismissively ban this product because the FDA says so and not experience some backlash, you are kidding yourselves.
Vapers are banning together state by state to fight these bans and are doing so quite effectively to date. If you believe that if the ban passes, vapers will just tuck tail and go away you are again, mistaken.
I can guarrantee that the vaping community knows which law makers are against and for the electronic cigarettes. Don’t think for one moment they are going to forget which representatives voted to ban what they consider a life saver.
For your constituents as well as for your own political futures, do your research and make informed choices because this might be your last chance to do so.
Vapers are voters too.
Just sayin…
After 25 years of smoking, I have finally found it’s replacement. I enjoy smoking, I don’t enjoy the side effects, the short breath, the smell, the loss of taste.
Nicotine is not what is killing smokers, all the other stuff in the smoke is.
And the FDA dares to keep trying to ban these devices after allowing smokers to DIE from Chantix? For shame.
I needed to either quit or find an alternative to smoking, both for my own health and that of my fiancee. These PV’s, e-cigs, e-nics, by whatever name you call them, are safer than smoking.
Can’t say that about Chantix, though.
The FDA, or more likely, one particularly prejudiced individual within the FDA, need to just accept the court’s ruling in the matter, and begin regulating these alternatives as they do other tobacco products. The FDA’s insistence on wasting my money as a taxpayer to fight these wise court decisions is insulting.
Since I was 22 years old, I have been consuming an average of 50 cigarettes/day (reduced to about 30 when I reached the age of 50) and have been trying to quit smoking since several years without any success through the use of Nicorette patches/gums/inhalators, Zyban, Allen Carr clinics, and Champix.
In October 2008, I discovered the existence of the electronic cigarette (TV programs – Internet searches).
As a substitute to traditional cigarettes, I purchased one from The Electronic Cigarette Company (UK) Ltd., tried it, and did quit smoking tobacco within a week. I have not resumed since because I do not feel like it anymore and do now find the smell offensive.
Within a couple of weeks, I experienced the following changes in my health: breathing as a normal non smoker of my age, coughing gone, taste and smell drastically improved, snoring reduced, bad smells/odours on my body/dresses/house/car all gone, all these with substantial reduction in expenses. I have not suffered from any disturbing health problems since using this new device.
Starting with e-liquids/cartridges of 24mg nicotine content, I reduced them to 18mg after 2 months, and intend to further reduce them to 11mg, aiming at reaching 0mg.
I can only but recommend this replacement method to any one who wants to stop smoking tobacco with its associates of tar, CO2 and over 4000 other deadly components, and finds it difficult or impossible to drop the habit because of nicotine addiction.
I am now a totally changed person, and this has been highly appreciated by my family and friends. May I add that, should this device be banned, I would immediately resume smoking tobacco and my health would of course change for the worse.
My partner and I have been using e-cigs for just over a month now. My partner has never had any intention to stop smoking but now prefers to use his ecig and has given up ordinary cigarettes completely and without any difficulty . We have literally just got back from the hospital where the consultant has been very encouraging of his switch to electronic smoking and his blood pressure was tested as normal for the first time in 15 years. We do not want to stop enjoying the effects of nicotene or vaping and are NOT using this product as some form of therapy to quit smoking. We choose to vape because we enjoy it and are also pleased to be saving money and feeling much healthier.
I found quitting smoking was not too difficult,but staying a non smoker was harder .Electronic-cigs have ensured that i will never go back to smoking.Also dont forget that you can use zero nicotine liquid in Electronic-cigs .I am only using between 0 and 4mgs nicotine in my liquids .
I am also of the general view regarding pharma/govt wanting to protect their own interests against E-cigs.
I’ve smoked cigarettes for more than half my life and was plagued with the usual complaints of a heavy smoker. Since taking up e-cigs/vaping all my symptoms have disappeard completely. I did not take up vaping as a stop smoking device.. rather as a device to enable me to enjoy nicotine with a safer delivery method than normal cigarettes would employ.
The benefits of vaping nicotine flavoured steam rather than nicotine smoke and it’s 4,000 chemicals are obvious even to the uninitiated and it beggars belief that any department would seek to have them banned or reassigned as medical devices… they aren’t medical devices; they are recreational devices that happen to be
better healthwise than carcenogenic analogues. Which brings up the question… why aren’t cigarettes banned?
Cigarettes cause thousands of deaths every year not to mention the costs of medical care and medicines…. why aren’t they banned? I’ll tell you why, because the tobacco giants would lose out and the knock on effect would be that the Governments would lose out on the taxes collected from cigarette sales…. which far exceed the monies paid out to keep dying patients in medical care. Also, the medical companies would lose sales on their medicinal products…. sold to dying patients.
Leave our e-cigs alone!
My father started smoking in the Navy back in 1969. He smoked 4 packs a day for 2 years and then quit cold turkey. He died in 2005 from Emphysema that doctors told him were a consequence of that small amount of time he spent smoking. My mother has been using E-cigarettes since they came out. Her smoker’s cough is gone, her high blood pressure? Gone, she is no longer on her meds. She has respiratory problems that she took medications for as well. At her most recent checkup they did a chest x-ray and ct scan. Found nothing, her lungs were clear. She’s a nervous wreck over this whole FDA thing and that her state (NY) has already once tried to ban e-cigarettes. She’s afraid she’ll have to go back to regular cigarettes, and for what? What exactly is the motivation here? I don’t understand this at all. If e-cigarettes are banned and my mom has to go back to using regular cigarettes she will, without a doubt, die earlier than she has to, earlier than she would have had she stayed on the e-cigs. That wouldn’t be fair to her, and it wouldn’t be fair to the hundreds of thousands (millions?) who have found a healthier alternative. Passing an e-cigarette ban would be akin to putting the gun back to the heads of these people, and also the people they live with who could easily die an earlier death from second hand smoke.
Please consider the people e-cigarettes have helped before making a knee jerk reaction based on no evidence whatsoever. I’d like to spend as much time on this earth with my one remaining parent as possible. The one that wasn’t killed by smoking regular cigarettes.
The arguments about children being enticed into using e-cigarettes are unfounded. Jason Cropper, Managing Director of Totally Wicked has refuted these allegations in the past. He has gone on record and said his company was the first in the wrld to make their nicotine products childproof and CHIP compliant. “With regards to children becoming hooked on e-cigarettes, I see this as a false argument, why would a child who had never smoked choose a candy flavoured e.liquid containing nicotine over a regular candy bar? ” he said.
In response to Prue Talbot who stated that most of the studies have been paid for by the e-cigarette companies, I’m curious as to what her point is. If the e-cigarette companies didn’t pay, nobody else would have paid and the studies would never have been done at all. And of course she knows this. She also knows that most people don’t know this, so her statement just gets published for the public to read, and of course it’s just one more piece of irrelevant information which the anti’s use againt e-cigs. And I just wish journalists and editors would have more common sense before publishing such ridiculous comments which are clearly intended to twist the truth.
To Ms Talbot, thanks to e-cigs I have been smoke free for nearly four months. If you sincerely “just don’t know” that e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco cigarettes, could you please explain how my health has dramatically improved since I changed to e-cigs? And please, your comments must be peer-reviewed.
To Mr Winickoff, why didn’t you try to protect me from addiction when I tried my first tobacco cigarette all those years ago? I’m assuming that you are also trying really hard to get combustible tobacco banned too. Haven’t you heard? That stuff can be addictive.
To the FDA, please stop wasting huge amounts of money on trying to stop something which is clearly helping so many people live healthier lives! I mean, try to think of something to do that would actually benefit people, such as the job you are being paid to do. Have you forgotten what that is?
As others have already mentioned, 29 years almost a pack a day habit is finally GONE from my and my family’s lives. Got an e-cig through a friend who quit 2 years ago, and wasn’t even looking to quit. 3 days after “vaping” I tried a regular cigarette and put it out after 3 puffs. That was over a month ago, and I have no plans to go back. Vaping has changed my life for the better. No more coughing, less snoring, better overall health, and my kids are not subjected to the stink anymore, even though I never smoked around them. I cannot stress enough THIS HAS BEEN LIFE CHANGING FOR US! I have never made it a week at anytime in the past when I tried to quit with gums, cold turkey, patches, prescriptions, etc. I am now 30 days removed and never going back. If the FDA or states manage to ban e-cigs, I will find a way to buy them illegally or make my own. I agree there needs to be some regulation, but an outright ban when basic common sense shows that these are less harmful, is ridiculous. Big Tobacco, be warned. No amount of lobby dollars will bring me back. And Government officials, I’m putting you on notice too that I will continue to vape no matter what you do to ban these devices. My life has finally been changed for the better, and I hope to quit completely some day, but that is for me to decide. So analyze, regulate, whatever, but a ban on these devices will do no one any good. Does the FDA want to be responsible for chasing an estimated half million people back to cigarettes?
I just want to give my two cents on this.. I have been smoking for 17 years (and I’m 28 years old). This week, I got my first e-cigarette in the mail, since I got it, I have quit smoking without even trying. This is amazing to me beyond words. I have tried very hard to quit using nicotine gum, patches, acupuncture, exercise, cold turkey, tapering down.. nearly everything. This really works. Please think twice before you take it away, it’s really helping people.
New non-smoker
Seattle, WA
I was a 2 pack a day smoker for over 30 years, and yes, being a Registered Nurse I KNEW what the harmful effects were and still could not stop smoking until I found the ecigarette. I have been vaping since September of 2010 and no longer want or crave real cigarettes. I feel much better, can smell and taste better, and my doctor is very supportive of vaping.
Nicotine is found in many things, as well as some food products. It is no worse than caffeine and the FDA hasn’t banned coffee or tea, has it?
What about all these energy drinks that are being consumed? I think it’s time the FDA took a look at regulating those – talk about a STIMULANT overload!
I could never stop smoking with patches, gum, or pills because there was no hand-to-mouth action/habit associated with it. The ecig gives you this action and actually allows you to blow out vapor which simulates smoking thus satisfying the habit in a most effective way.
As far as being attractive to children – cigarettes and alcohol are widely visible in stores for children to see everywhere but they can’t (or aren’t suppose to be) buying them – so what’s the difference?
My honest opinion – like a lot of others that have posted – is that the FDA is afraid that they are missing out on some revenues related to ecigs – go ahead and regulate them if you need to – just don’t BAN them – you haven’t banned the sale of alcohol or tobacco which is a lot worse on a person’s health!
I have already contacted my state officials and made my opinions known to them and will do all I can to help in this mission that basically is another waste of the taxpayer’s money!
I averaged 2 packs a day for almost forty years. I discovered e-cigarettes about 5 months ago. I average about a pack a week of the “regular” cigarettes. The FDA is worried about unknown chemicals in the nicotine juice, but no one is trying to ban tobacco which contain thousands of KNOWN poisons??? As far as targeting children, are you saying that adults don’t have a sense of taste for sweet things?? Are they only supposed to only like the nasty taste of tobacco? Besides, nicotine liquid is at least 10 times more expensive than the price of a candy bar, etc. And then they would have to have a device to use the liquid. Not so easy (or cheap) for a “child”. ***Closes by rolling eyes***
I have read comments here and in forums everywhere and the one thing I myself am certain of is this: I had tried every other way to stop smoking harmful tobacco and finally found it in e-cigs. I never liked the idea of someone else breathing in my smoke or the fact that it made my hair, skin, breath, clothing, furniture, etc. stink.
I now can smell, and taste things much better and true to their scent or taste. I can breathe easier and I can do more now than I did a few months ago while I was still smoking.
If you have to ban something then yes to banning sales to minors. But leave us adults to our own choices. That is supposed to be our right. Even God gave us free will, and it’s not hurting anyone else.
Started on e-cigarettes on February 8, 2010. Quit smoking cigarettes February 8, 2010. It works. running my first 10K in 20 years with my 13 year old son on March 26, 2011. Get over it, tax it and let people in the best shape of their lives, live.
As a side note, started e-cigarettes on my doctor’s suggestion.
Add one more to the list of people who have quit smoking after years of trying unsuccessfully to quit with patches, gum, etc.
Instead of trying to ban e-cigs the government should be trying to HELP us. How much money would be saved on healthcare for each smoker you could convert to a vaper? Get out of the grasp of big tobacco, and actually do something good for your citizens instead of your wallet for once.
I can only add to what others have said. I quit smoking using an e-cig at the age of 62, almost six months ago. Banning them because of ignorance almost beggars the imagination. They are certainly NOT a tobacco product but should considered more of a nicotine delivery system.
It is not something that non-smokers should use and need to be controlled enough to avoid being accessible to children. It needs to be noted that although the devices themselves are usually made off-shore, the fluids that we use are readily available from US companies.
I’ve had no adverse affects and have finally left tobacco behind. It is impossible to conceive that any ban would have a positive effect. It would serve merely to criminalize another portion of the population and force many of us back to cigarettes.
Vaping got me to quit smoking after 10 years in one day. I never tried to quit before mostly because cold turkey wasn’t going to work and every other option didn’t really appeal to me. Vaping seemed really interesting and not like anything else available. After a week of research I ordered my first E-Cig and the day it arrived in the mail was the day I quit smoking regular cigarettes. I went from over a pack a day to vaping 6mg nicotine which is the lowest you can get next to 0mg nicotine in an E-Cig overnight.
I understand the government’s interest in regulation of E-Cigs. They CAN contain nicotine depending on the user’s choice. I don’t think children should have access to these products but we have obviously figured out ways to keep kids from buying regular cigarettes and alcohol. It’s not a complicated concept. The government regulations don’t really fool anybody. As a nation we undertand money is the fuel that powers the machine. E-Cigs are much cheaper than regular cigarettes but honestly if the government wants to tax them and make the costs the same for the user I would pay it just to use a safer and less harmful product.
DON’T BAN E-CIGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop breathing, it is proven to be unsafe. Aspartame is PROVEN medically to cause cancer, so the fda allows it in many products. Cigarettes have been MEDICALLY PROVEN to cause cancer, so the fda allows them to the entire United States.
Electronic cigarettes, commonly referred to as Personal Vaporizers, have been PROVEN to reduce a habit that is a PROVEN cancer causing product. Now what does our government and the fda want to do but ban them. I am so embarrassed and ashamed by our government and the fda. I publicly show one’s ignorance is one thing, but to try to force it on others is terrible.
After 40 years of smoking, I had failed with Chantix, which is fda approved and MEDICALLY proven to cause suicides and many frightening side effects. fda approved ? Oh my, I thought the fda was concerned about the citizens of America. My wrong.
Patches, gums, pills, hypnosis, all the fda approved NRT’s that FAILED and have a TERRIBLE succes rate were of no good to me.
Then……I discover personal vaporizers(e-cigs). On day 2 of vaping I had my last cancer causing, fda approved cigarette and said good-bye to over 4,000 toxic, cancer causing agents that make BILLIONS for the medical world and BiG PhArMa.
If the fda or the US government think that they have any chance of stopping any of us from using electronic cigarettes, it will need to be Ex-Smoker approved first.
I will not quit using my personal vaporizer only to have to go back to using cigarettes.
Congress – fda -White House – Senate – Mayors – Governors – Think wisely. We are all voters and you will discover what happens when the people speak.
Stop listening to all the trash talk and discover for YOURSELF the truths in using this product. Granted, many of our leaders will find this hard to do, but it’s time to put on your big adult clothes and learn.
I was a heavy smoker for 56 years, and tried several times to quit without success – until I bought my first eCig, a Joye 510, and haven’t smoked since that day. That was 8 months ago, and I now consider my self smoke free without any cravings for cigarettes. My breathing is greatly improved, and I am suffering no side effects from the eCigs. I personally don’t care that eCigs are “unapproved and unregulated,” and would actually prefer that they stay that way.
I smoked for over 20 years, 3 packs a day for the last 5 or so. I had the lung capacity of an 88 year old.
I have not smoked since I picked up my first electronic cigarette 3 months ago, not one. My lung capacity has already returned to normal and I’ve started working out and losing weight.
I don’t understand how any reasonable person can say that electronic cigarettes are dangerous enough to ban but leave cigarettes on the open market. Unless of course they’re worried about money. How much in taxes does the gov’t make off of each pack of cigarettes again?
I’ve been using e cigarettes for a year now, and if it weren’t for them I would have still been puffing away on Winstons. FDA, please tell me why you think e cigarettes are more dangerous for me than Winstons? I’d love to hear your version and so would my doctor, who is now also recommending them to her patients. E cigarettes are the perfect solution for people that have gone through patches, inhalers, gum and Chantix.
I also understand that you don’t want them advertised as a smoking cessation device. But I can attest to the fact that I am having 100% success in stepping down my nicotine level. I am currently using the 8% nicotine. Are you so stupid that you think Winstons deliver less than that? At this rate I can project that I will be nicotine free within the next 6-9 months. And even then I would at least still have the option of enjoying a 0 nicotine e cig.
Your agency is corrupt and you let BIG TOBACCO influence to the detriment smokers and everyone else inhaling their second hand smoke.
I can honestly say this is the first time that I have quit smoking cigarettes and don’t have the fear of starting again. Since I have been vaping e-cigs I have not wanted a cigarette and will never want another one. The smell horrible to me now and I feel 100% better. I can walk up a flight of stairs without having to stop to catch my breath and can enjoy walking in general. I smoked for forty years and cigarettes were killing me, now I can enjoy life and still get my nicotine fix. I have even been cutting down on that since I started using the e-cig. This is the best method alternative to smoking. Please, Please don’t ban them cause they are wonderful to us veteran smokers! I have tried every method and none worked for me and this is my last chance at breathing and living longer!
As a 2 pack a day smoker for 40 + years, I can tell you I would not be able to say that I am smoke free for almost 9 months without the Ecig. I tried gum , patches, etc… with no good results. The ecig has made it possible for me to quit for good! I don’t live in a dream world I know there may be some risk from the ecig… but I also know it is Much better than regular cigs, my body tells me so! I can breath, taste, and feel much better than I ever did when smoking. As for the children it is already considered in the same group with cigs and limited to over 18 years for purchase. So if it is regulated the same as cigs what is the difference?
2.5 packs a day to none with the ecig. And you want to ban it. But chantix is okay even though it makes some people violently sick and has other risks. Wellbutrin makes you a walking zombie. The patch irritates the skin and gives nightmares. This does none of the above, but gets you off the smokes. Sounds to me they don’t want us off the traditional cigarettes, not with all the tax loss they will take.
It is often mentioned that electronic cigarettes can be purchased over the internet. Is it not true that tobacco cigarettes can also be purchased over the internet?
I am a smoker for 20 years. I have tried quitting cold turkey, weaning myself off of cigarettes without any aid, the patch, and the gum. My fiancé smokes as well. We’re tired of feeling bad and tired of spending our hard earned money to kill ourselves. One would think after reading that statement we are ignorant… we are not… we are addicted, not only to the nicotine and other additives contained in tobacco cigarettes but also to the action of smoking.
Enter electronic cigarettes. I will tell you up front I have not yet tried these devices but I intend to and soon. They are my best hope for eliminating most of these dangerous chemicals (if not all of them) from my body. From past experiences with quitting smoking along with the fact I have no other addictions I have come to the conclusion that it is the habit I have trouble letting go of rather than the nicotine. What else is there to replace it with? The only other action that comes close besides these devices is food. Is it really much healthier to become obese than to be a smoker? For others around you yes but for yourself personally not really. I have watched my mother struggle with obesity for years, she now has diabetes and has to give herself shots.
At best these devices are a smoking cessation tool (though that remains to be seen). At worst they are a healthier alternative for both smokers and the non smoking people around them. Being addicted to nicotine is not ideal. It is common knowledge that it does have harmful effects on the body. Having said that I’d like to point out that we can say the same for caffeine and alcohol and many other things we ingest regularly and legally.
I think these devices SHOULD be regulated but as a tobacco alternative as that is what they are most widely used for.
If these devices could gradually take the place of tobacco cigarettes, and be taxed, would that not be a big step in the right direction? Our air would be cleaner there would be fewer or possibly no smokers skulking in doorways, parking lots, and alleys looking like junkies. How many friends and loved ones could prolong their lives?
Of course there should be an age restriction and we should educate our children on the dangers of using nicotine as we must educate them on the dangers of using tobacco and alcohol. As we SHOULD be educating them on the dangers of caffiene among other things we don’t seem to focus on.
Of course we need to make sure these devices are as safe as possible but all present research suggests they are at worst MUCH safer for both smokers and non smokers than tobacco cigarettes. Should we not travel that road and see where it leads us? We’ve found out the hard way about tobacco, and asbestos, agent orange and many other things. These things often require years of study to find out how safe they are but how many more will die from smoking or being around smoking in 5 years, 10, 20?
Keeping electronic cigarettes on the market would be better for the government (a new tax stream), tobacco companies (a new revenue stream for those that choose to use it) and most importantly for the general public smokers and non smokers alike.
If anti-tobacco agencies want to make a stand let them make it against tobacco cigarettes instead. They have been a long time common knowledge killer yet they are still sold by the truckload day after day. While anti- tobacco agencie waste time condemming a much healthier alternative.
When we took the tobacco companies to court we worried if we banned smoking the tobacco companies would go under and take the economy with them. Well here is an option to eleminate or greatly reduce smoking and allow the tobacco companies to shift to a new line of revenue if they so choose.
I am a member of a forum that educates people on these devices and I can tell you the electronic cigarette community is growing. Why is it growing? Because smokers are finally finding something they like BETTER than tobacco cigarettes. You read that right better not just as well as but BETTER! They also feel better, and breathe better after switching over to it.
The American Association of Public Health Physicians has stated that products like the electronic cigarette could save the lives of 4 million of the 8 million U.S. smokers who would otherwise die of smoking related disease within the next 20 years.
Anti smoking agencies spend lots of time and money educating people on the dangers of tobacco use. Along comes a device that can actually aid them in their fight and they oppose it. I’m sorry but I fail to see any logic in such action.
I have been using electronic cigarettes for over a year and a half after being diagnosed with a 3-inch mass on my lung and undergoing 10 lung biopsies for cancer as a result of smothing regular analog cigarettes for 30+ years. If I had not switched when I did, I may not be alive to comment on this. As for them appealing to minors because of flavors, colors, etc., I find that statement to be offensive. First of all, regular analog cigarettes have so many added chemicals like arsenic, etc. When do you think most people start smoking? I started when I was 12. Regardless of a person’s age, they will follow what is in style. If being a 12 year old and smoking an e-cig is cool, well that will happen just like smoking regular analogs were there in my day. NO LAW or REGULATIONThe BIG diffrence is, they will be alive and will not have suffered 30 years down the road from the effects of a tobacco cigarette!
It’s clear that the FDA only cares about one thing, money. You can’t do this to Americans, we are tax payers, we are your revenue. You cannot sit there and coddle me like a child with one hand only to take up the knife in the other. Cigarettes are KILLING people, hundreds of thousands of people a year. That’s acceptable? But something rolls along that might hurt that count and Big Tobacco’s pocket and all of a sudden that’s wrong?
Look at the statistics, this isn’t a way to disregard nicotine. This is a way to obtain nicotine safer. Our founding fathers of this country would be appalled and ashamed at the FDA and any that oppose our right as Americans to enjoy ourselves as we see fit. This isn’t an illeagal narcotic, this isn’t affecting anyone but ourselves. In fact, why not make drinking illegal (again) and cigarettes as well? Why not make it illegal to say certain words, why not make it illegal to be outside after a certain time?
We’re a country based on Freedom. Freedom from tyrants who wished to control us from thousands of miles away and we as Americans stood up and said “We’re not going to take that crap anymore” and fought back! Well! A new tyrant is here folks! A supporter of death for the almighty dollar. No concern for human preservation, no concern for human rights. The FDA is that tyrant, we as Americans need to stand and fight back. Take our country back! We will NOT allow the FDA to take away an alternative to death!
Please, do not ban electronic cigarettes. Like many, many, others who have voiced their opinions, this is nothing short of a miracle for me. I have experienced only improved physical side effects from switching. If you want to ban something ban cigarettes. I don’t know how much our pleading letters will influence your decision but I would hate to think that it will be made based on money.
Hear us and take the time to grasp the magnitude of the good this product has had on a large amount of people. Please.
I was a pack-a-day smoker for 25+ years. I bought an electronic cigarette kit online. The day it arrived was the day I quit smoking. That was 6 months ago.
I’ve tried the patch, the gum and the lozenges. All-in-all I tried quitting about 10 times, never lasting more than a couple weeks, before finding this success.
Also, my Wife’s story completely mirrors mine.
I am a former pack a day smoker roped into a nicotine addiction 25 years ago while serving in the US Army. Having spent the last 10 years trying to quit smoking with, to name a few, The Patch, Gum, Zyban, hypnosis, I had nearly given up hope as nothing stuck for more than a day.
Back in mid 2010, one of my friends had quit using an e-cig which got me curious. In late 2010, one of my retired military associates (at age 42) was diagnosed with cancer caused by cigarettes, this to say the least, scared the hell out of me to at least try this new device, the e-cig.
I received my first e-cig started kit in Nov. 2010 and have not had a regular cigarette since. This system to me is a literal life saver.
The hypocrisy of any state government to even consider a ban on e-cigs while gladly collecting the taxes on regular cigarettes (a known killer) is reprehensible. Will government actually ever again be “For the People” and not “For the Money”?
I’m a 46 yr old male who has been smoking cigarettes since I was 14yrs old approx 33yrs. I smoked 2 packs a day for most of those 33 yrs and have tried just about every smoking cessation drug produced by Big Pharma with NONE of them working to get me to quite smoking. It was May 2009 I tried my first E-Cigarette and with in 3 weeks of picking up that E-Cigarette I had quite smoking the real ones for good and haven’t picked one up since.
It is now a no brainier that this new product of E-Cigarettes is the best smoking cessation there is to help people quite, there is a huge growing e-cig community (ECF) and some other forums that is helping so many thousands of people to quite smoking by educating people on these E-Cig products they are a fantastic support system, in fact the best I have ever seen, the people from ECF are fantastic at helping people who want to understand and educate themselves more about quitting smoking and starting to Vape.
After now being a long time vapor and watching how the FDA is trying to Ban these E-cig products I have to say it is really quite an eye opening experience of just how powerful the FDA, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco are in today’s world. It’s also more than obvious that they are all in each others pants in the fight to ban the E-cig and working together every day trying to hold up these E-cig because they are starting to take millions maybe billions of dollars away from Bg Tobacco & Big Pharma so these two are paying off the FDA in there battle to stomp on the E-cig trying to kill it. There is no way this is going to happen now, the E-cig community is to big and will stand up to fight for there rights, next there going to tell us what we can and cant put in are mouth as well. Newer studies have been coming out just as of late which is also proving that the E-cigs and the liquids in them is not bad for human consumption, nothing compared to what a real cigarette is which has over 4,000 carcinogens in them.
Big Tobacco is killing thousand of people per month yet the FDA doesn’t stop them from selling cigarettes, please cut me a break. Then we have Big Pharma who has been taking in billions of dollars a year trying to supposedly find a cure for cancer but can not, these Big Pharma companies crack me up the last thing they want to find is a cure all they are about is another treatment and getting there channel of drugs in the pipeline to bring to market so they can make billions more treating people. The drugs they are coming out with have more side effects than the initial problems at times and if they don’t help you they then kill you with there after effects.
The Bottom line is Big Pharma & Big Tobacco have been lobbying the FDA and even paying people off with in the FDA to do things to hurt the E-Cig industry. One example is how they cut off PayPal from being used to pay for E-Cigs in the USA, yet they couldn’t get to PayPal in other countries where you can use Paypal for the purchase of E-cigs, yet the FDA and Big Pharma have no problem with using PayPal to buy drugs on line using paypal, what a joke that is, anyone can go on the internet and buy whatever drug they want, pay for it and have it at there door in days. These types of things along with many other obvious things happening is much proof of just how on the take the FDA is and our Gov’t not wanting to lose there tax income from cigarettes.
Something needs to be done in this country over how are current system is being run. It is a country of the people, for the people, not supposed to be all about our Govt which is what is happening, just turn on CNN and all you ever see is Govt officials and there getting caught in scam after scam.
The best new law that could be put in place is this = If you hold an office in the USA govt from the lower Township level all the way up to the President of the United States and you get caught committing a felony you will do LIFE IN PRISON ! THIS WOULD SOLVE THE CORRUPT HAPPENINGS IN TODAY’S GOVT VERY QUICKLY, The people need to stand up and have some kind of tough law to police the Govt today since they have an open checkbook to do whatever they want these days and they keep spending our money like water in the wrong ways. Nough Said !!!