Johnson Creek — Christian Berkey was a nearly two-pack-a-day smoker when he heard about electronic cigarettes, a device that vaporizes a solution of water, nicotine and flavoring without the smoke and the combustion.

Berkey went on the Internet and ordered the device.

“I was stunned. I took a puff, and it gave me the same experience as cigarettes,” Berkey said. “It looked like smoke coming out, but you can’t smell it. It addressed the tactile sensation of smoking.”

There was one problem.

“I was not thrilled by the taste,” he said. “Chinese smoke juice had a chemical aspect to it.”

Berkey decided he could do better. He wasn’t worried about perfecting the pen-like device, which carries a battery and usually has an LED light on the end. He believed the solution to a successful smoking experience was to make the smoke juice taste better.

Berkey went to work, testing various formulas and trying to improve the taste. That was in November 2007. By February 2008, he started to see some results. Two months and countless variations later, he found the formula he liked.

Unlike the Chinese version, which contains countless ingredients, Berkey’s formula was simple, using only seven ingredients.

In July 2008, Berkey quit his job as a manager of an Apple retail store and took the plunge.

He started to talk about his product on online forums devoted to e-cigarettes. He offered consumers free samples. The feedback he was getting was good.

“They loved it,” he said. “No one wanted to touch the Chinese stuff.”

Ramping up

That was Berkey’s “aha moment.” He cashed in his 401(k) and started his business, called Johnson Creek Enterprises.

“It was not an easy decision, but I did it,” Berkey said.

Berkey convinced Heidi Braun, another Apple employee, to join him. A non-smoker and an asthmatic, Braun wasn’t exactly the ideal business partner for an e-cigarette smoke juice business.

“But I trusted Christian’s ability to come up with a business plan,” she said.

From that humble start, Johnson Creek Enterprises has grown to 14 full-time employees, has a thriving business that expects to generate $2 million in sales this year, and is looking to move into bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and taverns with sales of e-cigarettes and the company’s Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice.

And the two did it with no advertising.

At their cramped headquarters in a Johnson Creek industrial park, Berkey, the CEO, and Braun, the chief operating officer, are proud of the quality controls they have in their business. The smoke juice is prepared and put in small bottles in a “clean room,” a controlled environment where products are manufactured, where lab technicians wear head-to-toe lab coveralls and goggles.

The company claims to be the first company to produce smoke juice in the United States. It lists its ingredients on every bottle, uses child-resistant caps on the bottles, and shrink wraps the bottles for extra safety.

Berkey and Braun say business is so good, they plan to add as many as 12 to 14 more employees in the months to come. And they are looking for a bigger building to handle their needs.

Johnson Creek Enterprises produces 10 different flavors in four nicotine strengths for the firm’s Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice line. And it offers six flavors in three nicotine strengths for the Red Oak, propylene glycol-free smoke juice line.

A 1-ounce bottle of smoke juice costs $19.95. A half-ounce bottle costs $9.95.
Regulators take notice

The business is not for everyone. The Food and Drug Administration conducted a lab test of electronic cigarette samples it said contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals, such as diethylene glycol (DEG), an ingredient used in antifreeze.

Moreover, the FDA warned that smoke juice and e-cigarettes are being marketed and sold to young people, and contain no health warnings. The flavors, the FDA said, “may appeal to young people.”

The FDA study, Berkey said, did find DEG but in trace amounts. Asked whether the FDA had tested Johnson Creek smoke juice, Berkey said he could not comment.

“I know regulation is coming, and it’s fine,” Berkey said. “We definitely look forward to working with the FDA.”

Berkey and Braun also are anticipating July 5, when state businesses must go smoke-free. The company has an exclusive agreement with Blu electronic cigarettes, and hopes to convince the owners of bars, restaurants and other public places to sell the e-cigarettes and their smoke juice in their establishments.

“We have a lot of folks who are interested in this,” Braun said.

The new law does not forbid the use and consumption of e-cigarettes, but both Berkey and Braun agree their venture will only succeed if they educate the public about the device and their smoke juice.

Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin, isn’t buying it. Johnson Creek’s efforts to get into the restaurant and bar business by selling the e-cigarettes and the smoke juice may confuse people.

“And it’s appalling they are trying to get kids addicted to nicotine,” she said.

Berkey understands that. Puffing on an e-cigarette, he and Braun argue that people should educate themselves on the product.

“This is an alternative. It’s better than smoking,” Berkey said.

E- cigarettes look like real cigarettes, but they don’t burn tobacco. Instead, they produce a warm mist that contains nicotine and when exhaled, a vapour is released, but it’s not tobacco smoke. The cartridges are often flavoured as various brands of tobacco, chocolate, coffee, mint or fruit. They are marketed to smokers either for enjoyment or for use in smoke-free places.

The researchers note there’s no published data about the safety of e-cigarettes and while they’re likely less harmful than smoking, they’re also more dangerous than medicinal nicotine inhalers.

But almost all of the respondents in the researchers’ online survey said they had found ecigarettes at least somewhat helpful when trying to quit smoking.

The survey had 81 respondents, all people who had used e-cigarettes. They were from France, Canada, Belgium and Switzerland and were asked open-ended questions about their use of e-cigarettes. The survey was conducted in French between September and October 2009 and included 72 daily users of e-cigarettes, one non-daily user and eight former users.

As to why they used the ecigarettes, 65% said it was to quit smoking, 26% said they used them in smoke-free places, 25% said it was so they didn’t disturb other people with smoke, and 17% said it was to reduce their cigarette consumption. Respondents could choose more than one reason.

The study, which appears in the journal BMC Public Health, says the survey participants used e-cigarettes for an average of 100 days and averaged 175 puffs each day.

Positive effects reported with e-cigarettes included their usefulness to quit smoking, and the benefits of abstinence from smoking (less coughing, im-proved breathing, better physical fitness). Respondents also enjoyed the flavour of e-cigarettes and the sensation of inhalation.

But side-effects included dryness of the mouth and throat. Respondents also complained about the frequent technical failures of e-cigarettes, some had concerns about the possible toxicity of the devices, and they were also worried about their future legal status.

Etter said this study is just a start and more needs to be done.

“Currently, there is a difficult balance between the need to protect consumers and the possibility now being offered to smokers to use a new, acceptable and potentially effective device to stop smoking. Given the enormous burden of disease and death caused by tobacco smoking, there is an urgent need for research into the toxicity, efficacy and public health impact of ecigarettes,” Etter said.

Electronic cigarettes are an example of when technology has surpassed the rules and regulations, said Sgt. John Laws of University Police Department.

With electronic cigarettes becoming more familiar to people, Martin Lau, a graduate student in graphic design, said he was thinking about buying one.

“A pack of cigarettes is about $6 to $7,” he said. With those e-cigs, a carton is $20.”

Lau said the state may take action on the issue.

“If e-cigs prove to become a problem, (the state) will deal with it,” he said.

According to Section A of California Government Code Section 19994.35, “No tobacco product advertising shall be allowed in any state-owned and state-occupied building excepting advertising contained in a program, newspaper, magazine, or other written material lawfully sold, brought, or distributed within a state building.”

This means any advertisements for products containing tobacco or that are prepared with the leaves of plants of the nicotiana family are illegal within state buildings, according to section C of the same government code.

“I think in the long run you will not be able to smoke e-cigs indoors, because at one time people were able to smoke regular cigarettes indoors,” said senior business major Jansher Ashraf. “I think it’s just because e-cigs have not caught up with the law.”

In the state of California, each college and university is responsible for making its own rules and regulations, including the distance a cigarette can be smoked from a campus building, according to California Education Code, Section 89031.

Section 89031 states, “The trustees may establish rules and regulations for the government and maintenance of the buildings and grounds of the California State University. Every person who violates or attempts to violate the rules and regulations is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

At SJSU, Laws said the rule is a lit cigarette must be a minimum of 25 feet away from all campus buildings.

“We have not encountered any issues with students smoking too close to a building,” he said.

The penalty for smoking closer than 25 feet from a campus building is a citation of $ 1,000, and it is charged as a misdemeanor, Laws said.

“This is usually not our first response when dealing with this rare situation,” he said. “Usually we just give a warning.”

Lau said he is aware how it may bother some people to smoke too close to a building.

“I wouldn’t go next to a door and do it,” he said. “It’s rude.”

If e-cigs become popular and people use them often and become a problem, something will be done, Ashraf said.

“At some point, you will find somebody who has a problem with them and sure enough, a group of legislators will decide (a law) on e-cigs,” he said.
Thespartandaily

Electronic cigarettes are readily available at mall kiosks and the Internet, come in flavors like tobacco, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, and replace smoking with “vaping.”

And though they deliver a dose of nicotine steam, they can still be legally sold to and used by minors.

Mara Zrzavy, a 16-year-old ConVal Regional High School student from Peterborough, thinks that’s just wrong, and worries kids her age will view e-cigarettes as cool and become addicted to the nicotine. After they’re hooked, some will switch to regular cigarettes, which are cheaper, she said.

“It’s like having a new cell phone. It’s cool. It’s electronic,” she said.

Zrzavy and other New Hampshire youth involved in anti-drug programs helped persuade the House to pass a bill barring e-cigarette use by minors and hope the Senate will do the same.

Supporters want lawmakers to apply New Hampshire’s law on tobacco products to e-cigarettes. New Jersey has barred use by minors, in workplaces and other indoor public places. Several other states are considering laws restricting use by minors.

Under New Hampshire law, it is illegal to sell tobacco to minors and for minors to buy, possess or use tobacco products. Minors who violate the law face fines of up to $100, up to 20 hours of community service or both.

The federal Food and Drug Administration does not regulate electronic cigarettes. A federal judge ruled in January that the agency lacked jurisdiction over them as drugs.

Electronic cigarettes look like the real thing but don’t contain tobacco. They use a metal tube with a battery to heat a liquid nicotine solution in a replaceable cartridge. Users inhale and exhale the resulting water vapor. The tip of the tube lights like a regular cigarette. The process is called “vaping” instead of smoking.

“You look like a tea kettle essentially,” said Marie Mulroy, tobacco program manager at Breathe New Hampshire which is helping the youth in their fight.

Electronic cigarettes are marketed as an alternative to regular cigarettes and were first marketed worldwide in 2002, but did not become widespread in the United States until late in 2006, said James Watt, a board member of the Electronic Cigarette Association.

The association supports restricting the product’s use to adults and supports the move in New Hampshire to restrict access.

“Usage of electronic cigarettes is a lot like smoking. That is an adult activity,” he said.

Watt says the industry does not market to youth.

“I have yet to see any evidence that kids are buying these,” he said.

Dover High School freshman Paige Niler doesn’t believe that.

“The ads for e-cigarettes have shown up as advertisements on the sides of my Facebook wall,” says Niler, 15. “I believe e-cigarettes are being advertised directly at me and my peers.”

Watt said reputable dealers don’t sell to minors — something Niler found out when she decided to test the policy at a kiosk in a New Hampshire mall. But when she told the salesman her age, he suggested she find someone over age 18 to buy it for her, she said.

State Rep. Rich DiPentima, the bill’s prime sponsor, and Mulroy believe electronic cigarettes are just starting to catch on in New Hampshire. DiPentima said the legislation is intended to put state regulations in place since the FDA is not regulating the nicotine as a medical product and restricting access as it does to other smoking cessation products.

Niler hopes a ban is in place in time to keep her friends from getting hooked.

“I am afraid these e-cigarettes will just be like a gateway drug. They will get teens addicted to nicotine and then they may transition into smoking regular cigarettes,” she said.

Now that smoking is banned in most Tennessee restaurants, smokers like Carolyn Hampton are adapting to the world around them. If you see the Tri-City Wholesale Tobacco owner inside a restaurant puffing on something that looks like a cigarette, don’t be alarmed. In all likelihood, it is not a real cigarette. Instead, it is probably an electronic cigarette.

“If you’re in a place that you cannot smoke and you’re wanting to light up, it does take the edge off of not having nicotine,” Hampton said.

At her Johnson City business, e-cigarettes are flying off the shelves.

“We got our first order, sold-out and had to re-order, plus I had to get some from another store,” Hampton said.

The battery-powered cigarette alternatives are advertised as being tobacco and smoke-free.

E-cigarettes contain liquid nicotine rather than tobacco and instead of smoke, people exhale an odorless vapor, which makes them legal in places that ban smoking.

“It does not meet the Smoker Protection Act’s definition of smoking,” Tennessee Department of Health Division of General Environmental Health Director Hugh Atkins said.

Although the e-cigs do not appear to break any laws, their health effects are up for debate.

“They’re smoke-free,” Hampton said. “No second-hand smoke, no tar, so they’re actually healthier.“

The Tennessee Department of Health is not ready to go that far.

“Some of the items that have been detected (by the Food and Drug Administration) in preliminary tests do have some carcinogens,” Department of Health Communications Director Andrea Turner said. “The question is, ‘Are those carcinogens being emitted through that vapor?’“

The FDA began investigating electronic cigarettes last year and is expected to continue its research into the latest fad.

“It would probably be preliminary or premature to indicate whether or not the product is a health concern,” Turner said. “There’s still some research that needs to be done to determine that.”

With that in mind, Carolyn Hampton expects to see more government regulation in the near future, but for now she has no complaints.

“I love it,” Hampton said. “I still smoke regular cigarettes, but it is a good alternative to smoking where you can’t smoke.“

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that restricts the sale of electronic cigarettes as well as toughens penalties for people caught using or trying to obtain a false driver’s license or other fake identification was approved unanimously in the House unanimously Friday

HB88 sponsored by Ronda Rudd Menlove, R-Garland, is among four bills targeting new tobacco products generally and is one of two that focus specifically on electronic cigarettes, most of which are available only via the Internet. The Senate approved the bill Thursday.

The plastic device is about the same size as the real thing, but instead of producing smoke after being lit, a battery warms a vial of liquid nicotine in the mouthpiece until it vaporizes as the user inhales.

Opponents of the bill told lawmakers they are kidding themselves if they think that e-cigarettes are marketed to children, adding they are no different from nicotine gum in intent. They are almost exclusively used by smokers as a stopgap between quitting and trying to quit inhaling the 4,000 toxic chemical compounds emitted by a burning cigarette compared to about 20 in the vapor of an e-cigarette.

That didn’t stop proponent Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, from highlighting the potentially serious, even fatal, effects of tiny doses of nicotine exposure on toddlers. If a child manages to swallow straight nicotine and doesn’t receive immediate medical attention, it will die, Ray said, noting that nicotine is still used widely as a pesticide.

The amount of nicotine in two or three regular filter cigarettes is enough to kill someone. But because nicotine is only partially consumed and is mixed with air going into the lungs over several minutes spread out over many years, risk of nicotine poisoning from cigarette smoke is very low, even for chain smokers, he said.

Following that logic, HB88 is really saying Utah would rather someone who is trying to quit smoking do so only by inhaling nicotine, the addictive drug in cigarettes, in its dirtiest, most unhealthy form, said Spike Babaian, president of the National Vapers Club, a consumer advocacy group for former smokers who have switched to electronic cigarettes.

The argument defies both reality and common sense, Babaian said. Passage of this bill takes away a life-saving choice for Utah smokers, and it leaves smokers who have already successfully switched to e-cigarettes in an impossible situation.

“It’s inhumane, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of public health,” he said.

See the bill le.utah.gov/~2010/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0088.htm

By James Thalman
Deseret News
Feb. 19, 2010

A study supported by the National Cancer Institute and led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher says these changes should be consistent with cartridge content and product effect, even if that effect is a total failure to deliver nicotine.

Electronic cigarettes consist of a battery, heater and cartridge containing a solution of nicotine, propylene glycol and other chemicals and have been marketed to deliver nicotine without tobacco toxicants.

Despite no published data concerning safety or effectiveness, these products are sold in shopping malls and online. Further, “electronic cigarettes” currently are unregulated in the U.S., unlike other products intended to deliver nicotine to smokers such as lozenges, gum and patches.

“Consumers have a right to expect that products marketed to deliver a drug will work safely and as promised,” said principal investigator Thomas Eissenberg, Ph.D., professor in the VCU Department of Psychology. “Our findings demonstrate that the ‘electronic cigarettes’ that we tested do not deliver the drug they are supposed to deliver. It’s not just that they delivered less nicotine than a cigarette. Rather, they delivered no measurable nicotine at all. In terms of nicotine delivery, these products were as effective as puffing from an unlit cigarette.”

Eissenberg says these findings are important because they demonstrate why regulation of these products is essential for protecting the welfare and rights of consumers. With regulation, consumers can expect that these and similar products will be evaluated objectively and then labeled and packaged in a manner that is consistent with the drug they contain and the effects they produce, he said.

“Regulation can protect consumers from unsafe and ineffective products, but these products have somehow avoided regulation thus far,” said Eissenberg. “Our results suggest that consumers interested in safe and effective nicotine delivery need to be very wary of unregulated ‘electronic cigarettes’.”

In Eissenberg’s study, 16 people engaged in four different sessions — each separated by 48 hours — which included smoking their preferred brand of cigarettes, puffing an unlit cigarette, or using one of two different brands of “electronic cigarettes” loaded with “high” strength, which is 16 mg, nicotine cartridges. Eissenberg and his team measured the level of nicotine in the participants’ blood and also their heart rate and craving for a cigarette/nicotine.

They found that when smokers used the two brands of “electronic cigarettes,” there was no significant increase in nicotine levels or heart rate, and little reduction in craving. However, when they smoked their own brand of cigarettes, substantial and significant increases in plasma nicotine and heart rate, and decreases in craving were observed.

Eissenberg, who is director of the VCU Clinical Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory and a researcher with the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, has completed a series of studies demonstrating how clinical laboratory methods can be used to evaluate the toxicant exposure and other effects of novel products for tobacco users.

The research was published in the Online First issue of the journal Tobacco Control and will appear in the February print issue of the journal.

Electronic cigarettes have been a matter of concern for a while now. Several states have sued the makers of the devices and experts have warned that their use could make the addiction to nicotine worse.

By James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
February 16, 2010

Washington — “Electronic cigarettes” that vaporize nicotine juice to inhale instead of smoke from burning tobacco do not deliver as promised, according to research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“They are as effective at nicotine delivery as puffing on an unlit cigarette,” said Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, at the school’s Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies.

His study, funded by the federal National Cancer Institute, is the first by American doctors to check the function of so-called “no-smoke tobacco” devices, which are unregulated in the United States for sale or use.

The units are shaped like a cigarette and contain a battery that heats a filament to vaporize liquid nicotine in a refillable cartridge. Smokers buy the devices to get around no-smoking restrictions and to attempt to quit conventional cigarettes.

Some users nickname what they’re doing as “vaping” instead of smoking, to reflect the vapor produced by the heating element. The devices are marketed as an alternative to smoking, but retailers avoid making claims about health or safety.

Fans have established a Web site, www.e-cigarette-forum.com. Founder Oliver Kershaw said the site “is the largest e-smokers community online with some 26,000 members, most of whom are in the U.S.”

Jimi Jackson, a former tobacco smoker in Richmond, Virginia, who sells electronic cigarettes, is convinced there are immediate health advantages in avoiding the known cancer-causing substances in the smoke of a burning cigarette.

“I smoked 37 years, and when I found them, I was, like, ‘Thank, you Jesus,’ ” Jackson said with a laugh, as a reporter visited his shop, No Smoke Virginia, coincidentally just a few blocks from where the research was conducted at Virginia Commonwealth.

In March, the Food and Drug Administration imposed a ban on continued imports of the devices, pending regulatory review for any health risks.

The latest clinical evidence suggests users are not getting the addictive substance they get from smoking tobacco. “These e-cigs do not deliver nicotine,” Eissenberg said of the findings he expects to publish in an upcoming issue of the British Medical Journal.

This past summer, Eissenberg recruited smokers without prior experience using e-cigarettes to volunteer to use two popular brands of the devices for a set period. The 16 subjects were regularly measured in a clinical setting for the presence of nicotine in their bodies, their reported craving for conventional cigarettes, and certain physiological effects such as a change in heart rate.

“Ten puffs from either of these electronic cigarettes with a 16 mg nicotine cartridge delivered little to no nicotine,” the study found.

But the units may deliver hazardous chemicals, according to preliminary checks by federal regulators. In a notice to importers, the FDA blocked continued shipments after finding diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans.

The government’s statement noted there are no health warnings on the products, and that “the FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines.”

The notice of the import ban says “the product appears to be a combination drug-device,” that “requires pre-approval, registration and listing with the FDA” in order to be marketed in the United States.

A company challenging the import ban claims in federal court documents to have sold 600,000 of the devices in a year’s time through a network of 120 distributors in the United States.

“We are on the verge of going out of business, which is why we are suing the FDA in U.S. District Court,” said Washington, attorney Kip Schwartz, representing a company called “Smoking Everywhere,” a U.S. wholesaler that was importing the devices from China.

The lawsuit questions the FDA’s authority to block shipments of a non-tobacco product, and says the agency has violated its statutory process for product review. Liquid nicotine is available on the open market through pharmaceutical houses and vendors who sell e-cigarettes.

A judge has yet to rule on the company’s request for an injunction that would allow imports to resume. “There has been no change,” said FDA spokesman Siobhan DeLancey. She said “a decision in the case is still pending, with no timeline.”

President Obama, who has described himself as an occasional smoker, has been offered one of the devices by Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns. The Republican lawmaker’s office said the president did not respond.

An administration spokesman last year said the White House was not aware of the offer.

In a copy of a letter to the chief executive dated March 26, Stearns wrote, “I have recently given out e-cigarettes to a few members of Congress and they have become quite a hit.”

Sales of the devices continue at shopping mall kiosks and small storefront retailers, apparently drawing from stock imported before the FDA began to block shipments from overseas suppliers.
By Paul Courson, CNN
February 8, 2010

There is a worrying lack of safety data on electronic cigarettes, despite their growing popularity with the public, two leading Greek researchers have warned.

In the British Medical Journal, they say that without more evidence it is impossible to know if such products actually do more harm than good.

Some studies have raised safety fears, but retailers argue e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to the real thing.

Users can inhale nicotine without tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide.

The Department of Health suggested consumers “exercise caution”.

The report authors said consumers should stop using the devices until ongoing safety studies reported back within the next year.

The World Health Organisation is among those to raise concerns about the safety of these new types of cigarette substitute, which deliver a nicotine hit in a fine vapour.

And in the past year, US regulators have detained and blocked numerous shipments of e-cigarettes at borders because the devices are not approved.

In the UK, it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes as a “quit smoking” aid.

But they are widely available to buy as a “cigarette alternative” over the internet and are sold in a number of places, including some bars and clubs, the department store Harrods and even on board Ryanair flights.

Andreas Flouris and Dimitris Oikonomou, from the Institute of Human Performance and Rehabilitation in Greece, say there have been three main reports on e-cigarette safety – one by US regulators, one by a publicly-funded Greek research institute, and another by a private company in New Zealand.

Scant data

The US Food and Drug Administration report expressed concern after finding different brands of the battery operated device delivered markedly different amounts of nicotine vapour with each puff.

The FDA also detected traces of powerful cancer-causing chemicals.

The Greek institute Demokritos took a neutral stance on the products and did not find any evidence of chemical contamination.

Private enterprise Health New Zealand did find cancer-causing chemicals in products, but concluded that overall e-cigarettes should be recommended on the basis of the health risks associated with smoking normal cigarettes.

The researchers told the BMJ: “The scarce evidence indicates the existence of various toxic and carcinogenic compounds in e-cigarettes, albeit in possibly much smaller concentrations than in traditional cigarettes.”

Callum Reckless, director at Smart Smoker, a company that sells e-cigarettes, said: “I believe that electronic cigarettes are indeed a safer alternative to smoking real cigarettes.”

He welcomed more research into the safety of the products.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said it had been working with regulators to test the products and that none of those tested so far complied with product safety regulations.

She said the government was working to ensure e-cigarettes were labelled and sold appropriately.

“The Department of Health is not aware of any evidence about the long-term safety of e-cigarettes and, as such, would suggest that consumers exercise caution.

“E-cigarettes are not promoted by, or available on, the NHS,” she said.

Deborah Arnott, of the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said: “We do need better data on safety and appropriate regulation for e-cigarettes, although these products are certain to be significantly less hazardous than cigarettes, which lead to premature death in half all long-term users.”

She said there was demand for the products from smokers – UK estimates suggest around one in ten has already tried them.

WASHINGTON – A federal judge decided that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could not stop companies from importing electronic cigarettes, the Washington Post reports. Since 2008, the FDA has seized the battery-powered smoking devices. Smoking Everywhere and Sottera, two suppliers, filed a lawsuit to stop the agency from taking their products.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon sided with the companies after finding that e-cigarettes are tobacco products, not drugs. “This case appears to be yet another example of FDA’s aggressive efforts to regulate recreational tobacco products as drugs or devices,” the judge wrote in his opinion. The companies were granted a temporary injunction against the agency.

The judge referred to the FDA’s efforts as a “tenacious drive to maximize its regulatory power.” In a statement, the agency said it would review the decision: “The public health issues surrounding electronic cigarettes are of serious concern to the FDA.”

Court papers revealed that the agency considers e-cigarettes to be drug-delivery devices, ones that have not been FDA-approved. In December, the New Jersey Senate approved restrictions on e-cigarettes, while other states have been looking into limits on the devices as well.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Food and Drug Administration to stop blocking the importation of electronic cigarettes from China and indicated that the devices should be regulated as tobacco products rather than drug or medical devices.

Judge Richard J. Leon of Federal District Court in Washington issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by two distributors of the so-called e-cigarettes, which are battery-powered tubes that heat liquid nicotine into an inhalable vapor and are meant to simulate the taste of tobacco.

The distributors say the vapor contains virtually none of the cancer-causing chemicals of traditional cigarettes, but the F.D.A. says it has not been proved safe.

“This case appears to be yet another example of F.D.A.’s aggressive efforts to regulate recreational tobacco products as drugs or devices,” Judge Leon wrote.

With the passage of landmark tobacco legislation last year, he added, the Food and Drug Administration’s new tobacco division will be able to regulate the contents and marketing claims of e-cigarettes in the same way it is about to begin regulating traditional tobacco products. But the agency’s drug division cannot ban the devices, the judge ruled.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a brief statement: “The public health issues surrounding electronic cigarettes are of serious concern to the F.D.A. The agency is reviewing Judge Leon’s opinion and will decide the appropriate action to take.”

Ray Story, vice president of Smoking Everywhere, a Florida company that filed the suit, said the ruling was a victory for smokers who want a safer cigarette.

“The public will have a much less harmful alternative to tobacco products,” Mr. Story said. “Wherever they’re sold, we are going to be sold.”

Jack Leadbeater, chief executive of Sottera, an Arizona company that joined the suit, said border authorities would have to stop blocking and seizing imports and would have to release thousands of impounded e-cigarettes and millions of nicotine cartridges.

Mr. Leadbeater, chairman of the Electronic Cigarette Association, estimated that the products were a $100 million business nationwide.

Matthew L. Myers, president of the antismoking advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the ruling opened a gaping loophole in the legislation his organization and other health groups had promoted to give the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products.

The law, signed by President Obama last June, was intended for traditional tobacco products, not electronic ones where nicotine levels and flavors could be easily adjusted, Mr. Myers said.

He said e-cigarettes posed several potential serious risks to public health, including lack of controls on potency, a means to discourage current smokers from quitting by providing an alternative in smoke-free spaces and the possibility “these products could serve as a pathway to nicotine addiction for children.”

Judge Leon argued that the devices should be regulated in the same way as cigarettes. The judge also agreed with the distributors that e-cigarettes were not marketed as medical devices to help smokers quit, as the Food and Drug Administration had argued, but rather as safer substitutes to give users “the nicotine hit that smokers crave.”

The plastic tubes, shaped like cigarettes, have a heating element to vaporize a refillable liquid nicotine mixture. They have electronics to monitor air flow so that when a user inhales, the device delivers a vapor with a taste and feel that the distributors say simulates cigarette smoke.

Traditional cigarette makers have not been involved in the fledgling industry.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Some smokers have turned to electronic cigarettes to get their nicotine fix now that the Clean Indoor Air Act applies to bars and casinos.

State health officials warn against it, saying the products aren’t regulated and emit carcinogens, but acknowledge they can’t stop it under state law.

“We, at this point, don’t feel that we can go into a place and say, ‘You’re using e-cigarettes. That’s a violation of the Clean Indoor Air Act,’” said Linda Lee, supervisor with the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program in the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Electronic cigarettes contain a solution in a cartridge that is drawn through a battery-operated vaporizer to simulate inhaling smoke. The Food and Drug Administration has tested some of the more popular brands and has found they emit carcinogens. The FDA is seeking to regulate the electronic cigarettes, as it does tobacco products under a bill signed by President Barack Obama in June.

Lee said e-cigarettes can contain varied amounts of nicotine.

“They’re made in various places, a bunch of them are made in China,” Lee said. “There’s no regulation at all as far as nicotine content and whatever else is delivered. We’re very concerned about it.”

Robyn DeMasi, manager of the tobacco shop chain Smoker Friendly in Bozeman, said there has been an increase in sales of electronic cigarettes since the clean air act was expanded to bars and casinos on Oct. 1.

“People are looking for an alternative way to ‘smoke’ where they can’t now,” she said.

Jeremy Weiner, the Denver-based sales and marketing manager for Smoker Friendly, said the corporation began selling them a year ago and in most markets is doing very well.

Lee cautions that e-cigarettes, sometimes marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, are nothing of the sort.

“There is no real reason to use an unregulated product that could be dangerous,” Lee said.

FDA-approved products such as patches, gum and lozenges are already available, she said.

Lee said the state Clean Indoor Air Act doesn’t address e-cigarettes because lawmakers didn’t know about them in 2005, when the act passed.

“We’d never even heard about them at that point,” she said.

We have e-government, e-kasih, e-payment and many others. Now, get set for e-cigarette, which is being touted as your electronic way to kick the smoking habit.

The device looks like a cigarette and tastes like one. And you do exhale what looks like smoke. But the similarities end there.

The e-cigarette does not emit smell, there’s no second-hand smoke and it will not set off smoke detectors.

The e-cigarettes come in kits comprising a charger, batteries and cartridges or mouthpiece. The cartridge, battery and an atomizer are put together to look like a cigarette stick.

When a user inhales through the cigarette air flow is detected by a sensor. A microprocessor then activates an atomizer which vaporizes the nicotine in the mouthpiece. This produces a vapor mist which is inhaled by the user.

A proponent of e-cigarettes, Raja Faisal Raja Hishan Shah, said there was a cost saving factor, too, besides helping smokers wean off tobacco.

You can save about 70 ringgit or 75 ringgit per month without having to buy the regular cigarettes. It is much cheaper and safer,” he said.

However, health minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there was no study on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a means to encourage smokers to quit or cut down on their habit.

“Maybe it is a way to kick the habit. I hope it can help people stop their addiction,” he said. “WHO has also not endorsed the method because of lack of data.”

Liow said the most important issue here was that smoking was not good for health.

Nicotine is still bad for the health even though you won’t get the 4,000 harmful chemicals which you would get from smoking a conventional cigarette,” he said.

Liow said e-cigarettes should be registered with the ministry’s pharmaceutical division because it contained nicotine.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr David Quek dismissed the e-cigarette as an industry gimmick.

TRENTON, N.J. – Late last week, the New Jersey Senate voted unanimously to apply a portion of the New Jersey Free Air Act to regulate electronic smoking devices, NJ Today reports.

The measure would enlarge its smoking definition to encompass e-cigarettes. Under the bill, smoking would be classified as burning or inhaling tobacco or any other matter that could be inhaled or smoked, or the inhaling of smoke or vapor from an e-cigarette. Also, the smoking ban for minors would extend to use of electronic smoking devices.

“When a user puffs on an e-cigarette, which is a stainless steel tube designed to look like a real cigarette, they inhale a vaporized solution that usually contains nicotine,” said state Sen. Bob Gordon. “The liquid often contains flavoring, such as chocolate or cherry. It seems obvious the people who make these devices are trying to make them attractive to younger people.”

The act already outlaws smoking of cigars, cigarettes, pipes or other matter or substance with tobacco or any other matter that can be smoked in any indoor public place and workplace. “Our bill would update the current law to define an electronic smoking device to mean an electronic device that can be used to deliver nicotine or other substances to the person inhaling from the device, including an electronic cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, or pipe,” said Gordon.

Across the country, the battle to regulate e-cigarettes continues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have found electronic smoking devices to have carcinogens. A recent lawsuit by electronic cigarette distributors challenges the agency’s authority to regulate the products.

TRENTON — The New Jersey Senate has approved a bill that restricts the sale and use of electronic cigarettes.

The bill expands the definition of “smoking” to include e-cigarettes and extends the ban on smoking by minors to include them.

Electronic cigarettes look like the real thing but don’t contain tobacco. Instead, they employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a liquid nicotine solution. Users inhale and exhale the resulting water vapor.

The Senate bill, approved Thursday by a 38-0 vote, prohibits their use in public places and workplaces. It was approved Monday by the state Assembly and now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg has called on the federal Food and Drug Administration to remove e-cigarettes from the market.

Legislation proposed to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and include e-cigarettes in the state’s Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces, was unanimously approved Monday by an Assembly panel.

Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), a co-sponsor, said she’s concerned e-cigarettes are being marketed to children because they offer flavors like chocolate, banana and strawberry and could serve as a gateway to real cigarette use. “These are dangerous devices and I want to make sure our children are protected,” she said. “I’m very concerned that young people who use these things will get hooked on the nicotine and eventually move onto the real thing, opening the door to a lifetime of expensive and debilitating health problems.”

E-cigarettes look like the real thing but don’t contain tobacco. They employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a nicotine solution. Users breathe in the resulting vapor.

“Electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals, with one study even finding they use a toxic ingredient found in antifreeze,” said Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen), the other co-sponsor. “We have every reason to be worried about the safety of these products that are easy for youngsters to buy and also contain no health warning like you find on real cigarettes.”

The merged legislation, A-4227/A-4228, was approved by the Health and Senior Services Committee and was sent to the full lower house for a possible floor vote. It would extend the state ban on the sale of tobacco products to those under 19 years of age to e-cigarettes and include e-cigarettes in the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

DALLAS – On Tuesday, Jonathan Hatcher took his first puff from an electronic cigarette. He said the tobacco-free device still gave him a high.

“It gave me a good, relaxing nicotine feeling,” Hatcher said.

Tobacco Town started carrying the products a few months ago. They come with nicotine and without. Distributors say they’re becoming more popular.

“A lot of bars and restaurants are in favor of it actually,” said Jim Jinright, an electronic cigarette supplier.

Not all bars are smoke-free, but the trend is heading that direction. The Dallas ban took effect in April.

“I’ve actually had to stop people a couple of times and say oh no, no, no. There’s no smoking in here,” said Nicole Strawbridge, a bartender at Al’s Hideaway.

Now many smokers have to go outside or find an alternative.

‘You’re more than welcome to bring your electronic cigarettes in here, feel free to light up, or turn it on or whatever,” Strawbridge said.

The assistant director for Dallas City Code Compliance says there’s nothing about electronic cigarettes on the books, so they’re not prohibited in bars. That could change, because he’s asked the City Attorney whether the code should be updated. It’s currently under advisement.

It’s also important to note opposition from health organizations.

“Electronic cigarettes have not been adequately studied for safety. The flavored products may be popular with children instigating early addiction to nicotine,” said the American Cancer Society in a press release.

The FDA doesn’t regulate them, but the agency warns of some samples showing traces of carcinogens and toxic chemicals, like ingredients used in anti-freeze.

“You have to ask yourself what’s better. The tobacco? Or not having the tobacco?” Jinright said.

The option remains, at least for now.

By Vanessa Brown, October 27, 2009
Copyright © 2009, KDAF-TV

Song Young-rae, 55, was once a heavy smoker, but he says his life changed completely when he quit – sort of. Song switched to “e-cigarettes” he found on the Internet, and is now convinced that the product, imported from China, helps control his nicotine cravings.

“I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for the past 30 years, until last year, when I was introduced to electronic cigarettes, which reduced the addiction,” Song said in a telephone interview. “I gained back weight because the addiction was obviously less for electronic cigarettes. Plus, they are more cost effective.”

E-cigarettes were introduced to local consumers when Ruyan, a Chinese company, received a license to manufacture them. The products were imported to the West, then two years ago to Korea, where they occupy something of a regulatory blind spot.

The products run on batteries and capsules of nicotine, though they “have relatively less” of the drug, Kim Jung-ho at Ebaco, an early local importer of the product, said.

“The number of [e-cigarette] importers increased since late last year so that now there are around 20 local companies importing the products,” he said. “There are no Korean companies that hold the license to produce them yet.”

According to Kim, though not many people are aware of e-cigarettes, there is a growing interest among smokers. Sales by the traditional tobacco industry in Korea are 8 to 10 trillion won ($6.8 to $8.5 billion) a year. Only about 10 billion won worth of e-cigarettes are sold in the same period, Kim said. As the industry grows, its health implications are being debated, since it contains nicotine but is subject to less stringent regulation.

Government bodies including the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance recently said unofficially that e-cigarettes would eventually be taxed just like traditional cigarettes.

“Some importers are advertising e-cigarettes as a kind of medical device to take away one’s addiction to cigarettes, which Health Ministry research shows is total nonsense,” said Park Moon-bae at the Finance Ministry.

“In general, the law bans cigarette makers from advertising their products publicly, but e-cigarette importers often promote them through media releases,” he said.

By Lee Eun-joo [angie@joongang.co.kr]

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Previously e cigarettes sales have
generally been tobacco smoking individuals purchasing the product for
themselves. However, Teresa Peach, an online sales associate for E-Cigarettes
National, reports an influx of callers wishing to purchase the product for
their loved ones that smoke. “Some of these callers are stating that they wish
to buy the electronic cigarette starter kit for their spouses or partners that
have been smoking for thirty or forty years.” She has reported that many of
these callers believe that the electric cigarette might be last hope for them
to get their loved ones to switch from using tobacco.

Of course, this at least is not new knowledge. Many tobacco smokers have tried
to stop smoking many times and have failed over and over again. The electric
cigarette offers them an alternative to smoking tobacco, yet still allows them
to have the nicotine they want and to engage in the most realistic mock
smoking act available. “When smokers have tried everything they know of and
still continue to smoke, the e-cigarette might be the best bet for them to
reach that goal.”

Many consumers are considering purchasing an e-cigarette kit for the holiday
season, according to Teresa. Because there are more choices of this product
available online than ever before, including different styles and different
strengths of nicotine liquid (including zero nicotine), it is making it easier
to pick a gift for a smoker than ever before.

Instead of giving a smoker they know and love another ugly tie or sweater that
they might never even use, some people claim they are giving their loved ones
a gift of a better life – one without tobacco.

SOURCE E Cigarettes National

Tiffany Ellis of E Cigarettes National, +1-510-230-3947,
darksgtphoenix@gmail.com

SACRAMENTO (CN) – Smoking Everywhere, which makes electronic cigarettes that produce steam instead of smoke, misleads the public by claiming its product is not harmful though it has tested positive for human carcinogens and a poison found in antifreeze, a Sacramento man claims in a federal class action.

E-Cigarettes are battery-operated devices that look like cigarettes and have cartridges filled with nicotine, flavors and other chemicals. They are sold online and at kiosks in shopping malls around the United States.
Smoking Everywhere claims its product has been “toxicologically tested and it contains no known ingredients that are considered cancer-causing agents,” according to the complaint. It claims the cigarettes are infused with vitamins A, B, and C, and are actually a healthy dietary supplement, the complaint states.

But plaintiff Bryn Garrett says the e-cigarettes have tested positive for human carcinogens, and that at least one cartridge was found to contain diethylene glycol, “a poison found in antifreeze that has been linked hundreds of deaths worldwide from tainted toothpaste and cough syrup.”

When confronted with an FDA finding that e-cigarettes are unsafe, Elicko Taieb, CEO of Smoking Everywhere, said he is “pretty sure” the product is safe, though “we are not 100 percent sure of the side effects yet,” according to the complaint.
Smoking Everywhere’s e-cigarette devices cost $40 to $70, apiece, Garrett says. He seeks damages for unfair competition and unjust enrichment, and an injunction demanding that the company correct its advertising.
He is represented by Tonna Farrar with Bonnett, Fairbourn, Friedman & Balint of San Diego.

Copyright © September 30, 2009 Courthousenews

In its first move since it was given the power to regulate tobacco products, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the sale of fruit- and candy-flavored cigarettes in the U.S.

“Almost 90% of adult smokers started smoking as teenagers,” according to FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. “These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers.”

Sold in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, the cigarettes are mostly made by smaller firms or imported from overseas, Stephanie Desmon reports. The ban also includes the more popular clove cigarettes. Consumers are being asked to report violators, and border officials will be on the lookout for illegal shipments.

Marketplace’s Tess Vigeland, meanwhile, looks at the growing popularity — and possible ban of — e-cigarettes. Proponents claim they are a safer way to get a nicotine fix than regular cigarettes — without emitting second-hand smoke. The FDA wants all sales and marketing stopped until companies have applied for FDA approval. But e-cigarette makers have taken the agency to court to fight the ban.

Copyright © September 23, 2009 Orlandosentinel

Recently, in America, an FDA Report announced that electronic cigarettes or ecig’s are ‘potentially dangerous’ and should be banned but a simple web search reveals a suspiciaous amount of bias in the report and a lot of people believe that the FDA is likely to re-write it to provide better and more correct information about electronic cigarettes.

An Electronic Cigarette is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.

It is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporised propylene glycol/nicotine solution. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

It only delivers nicotine which is what the body is craving but avoids the user having to also inhale the 4000+ toxic chemicals which are present in normal cigarettes. A recent study in South Africa showed that 45% of people switching to electronic cigarettes were able to give up tobacco products completely!

The recession has also helped cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk as electronic cigarettes offer users the ability to cut their smoking costs by up to 90% whilst also becoming healthier. Statistics show that a heavy smoker with a 40 a day habit can save upwards of £3,000 a year the companies website claims. This is achieved because a single cartridge, which is equivalent to 7 normal cigarettes, costs from only 40p!

Owner of cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk Anna McLachlan stated “We are in a unique position to help millions of smokers in the UK. It has been suggested that 90% of smokers would swap to a product which gave the same experience as a cigarette if it was healthier and cheaper, we can offer this with our range of NUCIG electronic cigarettes.”

Anna Added “We are accredited NUCIG resellers and their Advanced Pro 2 starter kits give people everything they need to start the switch and we also stock all the accessories and refils if the user decides to continue. We have a team of customer service operators who are happy to speak with customers about their requirements if they have any doubts or questions and all our products have been independantly tested and proven to be safer than normal cigarettes.”

It is a shame that the American government is trying to stifle the use of these products but luckily the UK is not bound by their laws and our government must be commended that they have taken this opportunity to allow the sale of a product which continually proves itself to be safer and healthier than normal cigarettes.

To help vapers in America and around the world, cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk also offer free worldwide delivery on orders over 20 GBP.

An Electronic cigarette is an excellent alternative to smoking which must not be ignored.


Copyright © 03 Sept, 2009 Onlineprnews

The Food and Drug Association have sparked concern about the electronic cigarette, making claims that it may be unsafe for human use, while also attempting to classify it as a tobacco product or cigarette in order to impose tighter regulations. In response to this, Totally Wicked are making a bold move – renaming all of their products as Electronic Nicotine Inhalators opposed to the more traditional Electronic Cigarette.

“The move away from the electronic cigarette to the E-NI or the Electronic Nicotine Inhalator is Totally Wicked’s first step towards working with the FDA to disassociate our products from tobacco based cigarettes. Our new electronic nicotine inhalator will breath a breath of fresh air into the new alternative nicotine delivery market.”

The process of renaming all the product lines will be taking place over the next few months and is expected to be complete by Christmas. The first product to be renamed will be the TECC Titan 510, one of the companies most popular products. This is to be renamed the Totally Wicked Titan E-NI.

The move also helps to reiterate the fact that the Electronic Cigarette is not being marketed as a stop smoking product, or any form of nicotine replacement device. This is partly in response to several groups that have expressed concern over how some retailers have been marketing the electronic cigarette and e-smoking liquid, implying that the electronic cigarette may be used to aid smokers to quit smoking an conquer nicotine addiction.

Jason Cropper, Managing Director of Totally Wicked E-Liquid says “The move away from the electronic cigarette to the E-NI or the Electronic Nicotine Inhalator is Totally Wicked’s first step towards working with the FDA to disassociate our products from tobacco based cigarettes. Our new electronic nicotine inhalator will breath a breath of fresh air into the new alternative nicotine delivery market.”

As well as renaming the Titan 510, Totally Wicked will also be releasing their latest products in the Titan Range. The Gold and Platinum E-NI, currently the Titan E-NI is available in either black or white, but Totally Wicked have recently announced the expected arrival of the platinum and the gold. This will bring a greater variety of choice to what Totally Wicked believe is the quite possibly the worlds best E-NI (Electronic Cigarette)

Copyright © 2 September 2009 Onlineprnews

Will the FDA force electronic cigarettes to become the next black market?

A war is being waged between the FDA and electronic cigarette supporters.
“FDA to take a more scientific approach and to work with members of the ECA before making any rash decisions to ban e-cigarettes altogether. Such a ban would leave smokers without an alternative to combustible cigarettes, which are clearly documented and known for their unhealthy and life-threatening results and which the FDA has no intention of banning. The enormous response our members have received from the more than 1 million Americans undoubtedly demonstrates that smokers unable to quit desperately are looking for an alternative to cigarettes.”

The FDA wants to ban electronic cigarettes, claiming that they have not been adequately tested and therefore pose a threat to the American public. Supporters of the electronic cigarette say the FDA is being brash and using the media to feed incomplete, big corporation biased information to the American public.

Millions of smokers use the electronic cigarette, claiming that they have not had the urge to go back to traditional tobacco cigarettes. The electronic cigarette looks and feels like a tobacco cigarette, but that is where the similarities end. Tobacco cigarettes contain over 4,000 ingredients, many known carcinogens, while an e-cigarette contains only 20, none of which are carcinogenic. The FDA recent test results of electronic cigarettes found 1 out of 18 cartridges contained Diethylene glycol (DEG). However the FDA failed to mention that DEG is also used as a humectant in tobacco products such as cigarettes. By not providing all of the details, the FDA appears as if they intend on utilizing public perception to affect policy.

The FDA has not banned the products yet, but they are considering it. With millions of passionate users of electronic cigarettes, it is foreseeable that an underground black market will appear if the FDA bans e-cigarettes, much the way it banned alcohol during Prohibition.
Prohibition did little to reduce the demand for alcohol. Most experts and sociologists agree, prohibition was a complete failure and contributed greatly to the rise of organized crime. The alcohol industry became the province of gangsters operating a black market.
This is not what the electronic cigarette industry wants. They are willing to work with the FDA to approve these devices that have the potential to save lives. Matt Salmon, president of the Electronic Cigarette Association encourages the “FDA to take a more scientific approach and to work with members of the ECA before making any rash decisions to ban e-cigarettes altogether. Such a ban would leave smokers without an alternative to combustible cigarettes, which are clearly documented and known for their unhealthy and life-threatening results and which the FDA has no intention of banning. The enormous response our members have received from the more than 1 million Americans undoubtedly demonstrates that smokers unable to quit desperately are looking for an alternative to cigarettes.”
Smokers desperate search for an alternative to traditional cigarettes will infallibly create a black market if the FDA bans electronic cigarettes.

North Carolina’s “sin tax” goes into effect September 1, increasing the cost of cigarettes by 45 cents a pack.

“My packs run about $6 and a carton will run about $40,” said smoker Tim Monday.

Under the “sin tax”, other tobacco products will increase by 12.8%. Alcohol taxes will go up depending on the type, which will have a big impact on restaurant owners like Chris Alves.

“Alcohol tax has already been pretty high per bottle so I’m not really excited to see it go any higher,” Alves said. “We’ve got to try to figure out how we’re going to absorb the costs without passing it on to the guests.”

Supporters of the “sin tax” said the money will help close the state’s massive budget gap.

Governor Bev Perdue has called both tobacco and alcohol products luxury items. In the past, the Governor has also mentioned the burden cigarette smoking has been on the state’s health care system.

But Monday said even with a tax increase he won’t change a thing.

“Well it’s causing me to pay out more but it’s not going to make me stop,” he said.

Economists said the tax hike will cost an average taxpayer between $150 and $200 dollars a year. The increase will pay for teachers across the state.

Mecklenburg County’s tax is the highest in N.C. Right now it’s 7.25%. Come September 1, it will be 8.25%.

Copyright 2009 Wsoctv

DUBAI— A shipment of e-cigarettes, which arrived at the Dubai International Airport last week, was blocked by Dubai Customs following a ban enforced by the Ministry of Health.

The ministry had banned the battery-powered product last week after tests revealed that it could be hazardous to people’s health.

“We have acted upon the ban and stopped the goods from entering the country,” said Mohammed Mattar Al Marri, executive director of cargo operations at Dubai Customs. “Because this is a local ban, we will allow the exporter to export the shipment back to the country of origin or on to a new destination. We are not a legislative body. We work within the legal framework established by the relevant 
government bodies.”

Al Marri did not elaborate on the size of the shipment but added that it was relatively small because it arrived in the cargo hold of an aircraft.

Electronic cigarettes emit a fine vapour which contains a dose of nicotine. However, there have been concerns that they could be harmful to health.

In the United States, a study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that e-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in anti-freeze.

A Dubai Municipality study is expected to have corroborated the findings.

“There is general agreement in the GCC Tobacco Control Committee that e-cigarette should not be circulated in the (Gulf) market as therapy,” Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of Tobacco Control Team in the MoH, had told Khaleej Times last week.

martin@khaleejtimes.com

17-August-2009 – Following the FDA in america stopping significant shipments of Electronic Cigarettes into the US cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk are now offering free delivery on any order over £20 no matter where in the world it needs to go.

Owner Anna McLachlan stated “We have taken this step to ensure that all users of electronic cigarettes have access to a reliable supply of products. We understand that some states in America have banned the sale but not the use along with other countries, and those users risk slipping back into using much more dangerous products like traditional cigarettes.”
“We are offering free delivery anywhere in the world for orders over £20 for an inital period to discover the requirement for our products worldwide and also to ensure that the cost of the offer is not damaging to the business. We are aiming to announce free delivery as standard in September all being well.”

Cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk are accredited NUCIG resellers whose products do not contain Propylene Glycol which is what the big debate is over.

Anna added “We are offering free delivery anywhere in the world for orders over £20 for an inital period to discover the requirement for our products worldwide and also to ensure that the cost of the offer is not damaging to the business. We are aiming to announce free delivery as standard in September all being well.”

An electronic cigarette or ‘e-cigarette’ is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. It is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporised nicotine solution. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

An electronic cigarette is a nicotine delivery device which continues to prove itself around the world as a fantastic Alternative To Smoking.

Copyright © 2009 Onlineprnews

The Health Ministry has banned electronic cigarettes, both the import and use of those previously brought into the country. The product is marketed as an aid to help smokers stop smoking.

The move comes in the wake of a health warning by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the product. The FDA did not ban their sale or use, however.

The Israeli Health Ministry decision, which came out Tuesday, covers both the import and sale of the product, including those that are marketed as nicotine-free.

E-cigarettes were previously approved the by ministry as medical devices to help people stop smoking. However, the ministry told importers to submit documentation proving the devices were safe for public use. The documentation required was to include an expert opinion from an Israeli toxicologist stating that all components of the product were safe to inhale and smoke.

U.S. research has found that the products are not safe at all.

The FDA issued its own warning after a research study examining 19 cigarettes found that half contained nitrosamines — cancer-causing agents found in conventional cigarettes.

In addition, many also contained diethylene glycol, a poison found in the antifreeze liquid used in vehicles.

Some of the cigarettes that claimed not to contain any nicotine actually contained low levels of the addictive substance as well.

Most of the e-cigarettes, which came out on the market in 2004, are produced in China. They are sold all over the world, in various flavors, with and allegedly without nicotine.

The electronic cigarettes are battery-operated. Like regular cigarettes, smokers must inhale to enjoy their contents, and many include a burning chamber which resembles the taste of tobacco. In contrast to conventional cigarettes, the electronic cigarettes smoke without the odor that often disturbs non-smokers.
Copyright © 2009 Israelnationalnews

NJOY, the electronic cigarette brand based in Scottsdale, will continue to market the tobacco-less devices despite a warning from the Food and Drug Administration that it could pose health risks.

Public health officials said last week that electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes,” may not be such a healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes.

The FDA tested NJOY and another brand. Results showed some of the samples in both brands contained human carcinogens and tobacco impurities suspected of being harmful to humans.

NJOY, manufactured and distributed by Sottera, Inc., in the Scottsdale Airpark, has argued that e-cigarettes contain impurities at much lower levels than traditional cigarettes. In a statement, the company said the FDA’s study does “not confirm a risk to health from using NJOY’s products.”

The devices have been marketed since April 2007 with “no reports of adverse health consequences,” the company said. The FDA has not asked NJOY to re-label or remove the product from shelves.

E-cigarettes, which are battery-operated and contain cartridges of nicotine, are made to look and taste like normal cigarettes. When inhaled, they produce a nicotine-laced vapor that is absorbed into the lungs and marketed as safer than traditional tobacco.

NJOY recently hired an independent third-party to analyze the results of the FDA study. The results will likely be released this week, said Amy Linert, a representative who spoke on behalf of NJOY.

“We’re looking at quality control,” Linert said. “We’re looking at levels of the elements.”

Health experts expressed concerns that e-cigarettes, which have addictive nicotine, could get smokers hooked at a younger age. The products do not contain any health warnings, unlike nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes.

Companies sell them in different flavors, which health officials said could appeal to young people. NJOY’s cartridges come in flavors such as apple, strawberry and vanilla.

The Electronic Cigarette Association, of which NJOY is a member, said that the FDA’s analysis is “too narrow.” Matt Salmon, president of the association and a former U.S. representative from Arizona, said he was shocked that the FDA would release the study, especially when there are other nicotine products on the market.

“Are they saying that those products and cigarettes themselves are safer to use?” Salmon said in a statement. “Our member companies have taken a responsible approach by ensuring that those who use their products are well-informed.”
Copyright © 2009 Azcentral

The Chinese Pavilion of the Shanghai Expo has refused a 200 million yuan donation from the Shanghai Tobacco (Group) Corporation (STC) in China’s effort to ban tobacco advertising.

In a July 20 report from Caijing, the organisers of the Shanghai Expo explained that as China signed the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2003 to ban all types of tobacco advertising and promotion by 2011, they decided not to accept the donation from STC to achieve the “Green Olympics “goal.

The decision sparked a heated discussion on websites. People who supported the donation said tobacco industries were entitled to contribute to the Shanghai Expo, and a 200 million yuan donation contributed enormously to the expo which has injected 1.5 billion yuan in the city, while others thought this breached China’s commitment in the convention against the promotion of tobacco.

Some experts even called for a complete tobacco ban not only advertising, promotion and donation, but also in public areas and workplaces.
Copyright © 2009 Alibaba