Big Tobacco's Influence?

[st-tches]

Am I the only one that's fairly certain that the tobacco industries have a very large amount of influence behind all this bulli..... controversy rising around e-cigs? I mean, if we give ridiculous media stories the benefit of the doubt and assume e-cigs are harmful, they are still certainly much less harmful than analogs! I am absolutely certain there are undeniable health benefits to vaping over smoking. The morning after my first day of vaping (A.K.A. the first day in a long time I went without 15-25 cigarettes, 1-3 cigars/cigarillo (It is autocorrecting cigarillo with an 's' to cigarillo without an 's' so I can't make it plural), and the occasional few bowls of pipe tobacco) there was a noticeable difference in my need for a Ventolin HFA inhaler. Going from using it twice to five times daily (Usually around four times) to using it once, maybe twice at most, if at all TWO DAYS after I stopped smoking.

Media has no common sense, it's been that way for as long as I remember it, and the problem is everyone listens to the crap.

I wish news channels would cover the amount of people that have successfully used e-cigs to stop smoking, however, they make money off of despair for a living and the amount of benefits will never show past all the unproven hazards.

 

[Kent C]

Am I the only one that's fairly certain that the tobacco industries have a very large amount of influence behind all this bulli..... controversy rising around e-cigs?

You're not the only one but your numbers are dropping rapidly. The tobacco companies are beginning to embrace (actually sell) ecigarettes. The focus now is more on Big Pharma for some and Big Government for others (including myself).

That said - congrats and continued success in using ecigarettes. On that, we're all in the same boat.

 

[Vocalek]

You wouldn't be alone, but you would be wrong. It is all the groups that have ever been rabidly anti-smoker.

Examples:

http://www.ttac.org/tcn/tfp/2010/may-2010/pdfs/Policy_Guidance_E-Cigarettes.pdf
http://www.jeffreysanchez.org/wp-co...avor-of-Sanchez-E-Cigarette-Bill-10-29-13.pdf


Yes, they are being stupid. But then again, maybe they are just being frugal, since much of their funding comes from pharmaceutical companies that make smoking cessation products.

 

[mooreted]

Follow the money.

Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

 

[Kent C]

Follow the money.

I did. It ends up in Washington DC.

 

[VapieDan]

First is it not an oxymoron that the FDA "approves" something harmful? What is the purpose of FDA approval? Second it appears the FDA can delay approval or rejection to effectively keep a product off the market. This is the depraved system electronic cigarettes will be exposed to under FDA control.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...f45308-ddc4-11e2-948c-d644453cf169_story.html

 

[Kent C]

First is it not an oxymoron that the FDA "approves" something harmful? What is the purpose of FDA approval? Second it appears the FDA can delay approval or rejection to effectively keep a product off the market. This is the depraved system electronic cigarettes will be exposed to under FDA control.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...f45308-ddc4-11e2-948c-d644453cf169_story.html

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg:

“For the first time, the federal government is bringing science-based regulation to the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of tobacco products.”

Amazing! Is this an acknowledgement that before this, it was just 'who you know' or 'who kickedback the most'? Unfortunately we know what kind of 'science' gov't uses - finding 'carcinogens' in things that don't have them - second hand smoke and an odd cartomizer.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

I wish news channels would cover the amount of people that have successfully used e-cigs to stop smoking, however, they make money off of despair for a living and the amount of benefits will never show past all the unproven hazards.

Actually you'd be surprised - I read something like 3-4 dozen articles and/or view a goodly # of video news clips every day when I post my round-ups. It can be depressing at times, but what I've noticed is that most of the cub reporters will throw in a junky quote from their local health (or school) officials, maybe with a quick comment from some fear-mongering politician for good measure, and/or a spokesperson from any of the standard ANTZ orgs.

The authorities' message, of course is: "Be afraid, be very afraid - especially for the children!

But since they're local news, they also end up with the boilerplate reactions of ordinary vapers (which of course are all favorable).

So the net result is that you have all of these VIPs saying dreadfully-alarming things about vaping, juxtaposed with lots of ordinary "vaper on the street" locals who are saying good things.

I'm no psychologist, but the average reader may be wondering to themselves why so many of their fellow "Joe and Jill Sixpack" citizens are singing the praises of vaping, while the "responsible authorities" are saying that vaping is The Next Big Threat to Western Civilization (or something like that, anyway).

On the other side, the national news outlets which have standards like NYT, WaPo, WSJ and the like are much more sophisticated in their coverage, and tend to produce fairly balanced pieces. I say "fairly balanced" because if you're covering something like the "War on Christmas" or "The Controversy over whether the Earth is actually Flat" ... then naturally there's going to be a certain amont of trash

Good to hear that you're having some sucess!

 

[st-tches]

The worst part of thinking about all the problems with the government is that I tend to feel rather hopeless, and coming in at a close second is that 'tinfoil hat' feeling I tend to get xD

 

[squee]

I think Pharma is the most dangerous, being they are the ones who stand to lose the most. And, since they're considered "reputable", have the most leverage/sway.

However, I do think BT is pushing against as well, but only in the sense of cornering the market. That's why you see them pushing for regulations and FDA approval and such. Because they are the only ones big enough to pass thru all the trials and tests and drop a couple million bucks on it. But, where would that leave AiV, Ahlusion, HHV and all the other liquid vendors? Out of business, and out of the way of BT - who will then control the ecig market. Cigalikes and pre-filled carts, with cig brand "flavors". And since most won't quit cigs with those, not long term anyway - BT wins, Pharma wins - We lose.

 

[tonyph]

The way article 18 of the TPD appeared initially it could have been written by Big T. It still seems to offer them and other major cig a like manufacturers what is effectively a cartel. Over the weekend we got the first official comments I have seen from them from them and it was supporting the regulation. BAT also announced they have embarked on the process of obtaining licences from the medicines regulator. There is a certain irony in that one of the leverage's to get the regulation was saying it was to stop Big T.
Any evidence of how they achieved such a result may never appear. They may have just predicted how regulators and anti smoking groups would behave with the odd nudge here and there. Putting the regulation in the Tobacco product directive gave them plenty of reasons to be meeting with EU officials. There is also the question of TWECA and their association through CORESTA to Big T, they were definitely playing games in the meetings
Med Regs getting knocked back in Europe may have upset Big P but article 18 seems to cater for their needs as well by allowing individual nations to licence ecigs as medicines.
Anyway ever how they achieved it Big T & Big P have got a grip on the EU mass markets unless there is a substantial late U turn by regulators. The anti smoking groups should get a slice, advising and counselling how to use the crippled devices that pass med reg.
Ever how the barrage of mis information and false scares was orchestrated they are the winners.
I wonder if the journalists who just copied and pasted the press releases full of misinformation and false scares will question it when they are copying and pasting the medical benefits of e-cigs. The guardian article in the UK this weekend is a good example http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/02/e-cigarettes-medicines-nhs?commentpage=2
Note the dig at ECITA, I doubt the guardian journalist knew of there existence.