Altria launches IQOS

[Rossum]

Altria launches Iqos tobacco device in US, and the timing couldn't be better

It took two more years for regulatory clearance. But Altria is finally launching iqos in the U.S. this week, and the company’s timing — though coincidental — couldn’t be better.

This article uses "coincidental" or "coinciding" twice. I'm not usually much for tin-foil hats, but the old saying is: Never believe a conspiracy theory until it has been officially denied.

 

[Fredman1]

Well, all I can say is, I won't be getting one of those...ever !!!

 

[LoveVanilla]

Iqos isn’t a vaping device or a cigarette

Guess this clarifies matters. When the CDC and mass media pronounce "chicken has salmonella so we must ban beef", it is time to examine who pays tuition for their kid's private school.

 

[Rossum]

Well, all I can say is, I won't be getting one of those...ever !!!

Being the kind of guy who needs to try everything once (and won't talk much about some of the things he tried during the 1970s) I got one about a year ago on the way back from Europe.

I think it has potential as a harm reduction method for people who've tried vaping but didn't succeed with it (and I believe there are plenty of those), but it will not have much appeal to those of us for whom vaping did work. In the year I've had it, I've gone through barely more than 20 of the "heet sticks".

 

[ceeceeisme]

"The U.S. launch comes amid public panic over an outbreak of a deadly lung disease that’s killed at least 18 people. U.S. health officials have traced the illnesses to vaping."

Not sure how I missed that number.... it's climbed to 18 now?

 

[Irish Messing]

for people who've tried vaping but didn't succeed with it

will not have much appeal to those of us for whom vaping did work.

I saw the same article pop up on my phone earlier and have been thinking about it since. I live less than an hour away from Lenox Mall and was thinking I might take a trip down there in the morning. When I got home from work I told the wife I was thinking about trying it and she didn't seem to understand why. She quit smoking at the same time I did but I've continued to vape while she's free of any nicotine for several years now. (I keep ~30ml of unflavored 0 nic for her for those particularly stressful days...)

I haven't had a cigarette in over 5 years and don't intend to but I recently found myself enjoying a tootle puffing setup that has reminded me more of what smoking used to feel like. Instead of the DLH that I've grown used to, the MTL brief but intense throat hit is enjoyable. I vape unflavored 6mg but wish there was some tobacco flavor there. I'm genuinely intrigued by this IQOS. I don't want to go back to tobacco but my curiosity is piqued. I've spent the last hour and a half reading about this and I'm glad to see someone I respect here bring it up. Could you elaborate on how it performs?

 

[Irish Messing]

Alright, so everything I read before I posted prior to this was industry stuff and news articles. Everything I've read after I posted this has been ECF posts. Now I'm less likely to go to the mall tomorrow but I feel like this might be one of those "even though you generally eat healthy, every couple years or so you just want a Big Mac" type of deals... I'm still curious but it's hard to argue against the logical simplicity of the "it's still Big T" comments.

 

[Rossum]

Could you elaborate on how it performs?

It had been 4-1/2 years since I had a cigarette when I first tried it last year. It tastes like I remember cigarettes tasting, in other words, fairly awful.

In fact, the yellow-box Heets that I got reminded me very much of a Marlboro Light, a variety of cigs that I never cared for at all, and would only smoke if I war truly desperate. But that's just me. I realize that Marlboro and Marlboro Light are among the most popular of cigarettes, so that's probably a plus for the product in the overall scheme of things.

Using it does not irritate my airways the way a cigarette would.

It produces a different "head" than vaping straight nicotine does. Again, I think this is quite similar to a real cigarette (minus the carbon monoxide). WTA does that too, but to a much lesser extent.

I haven't used the device enough to say much about its longevity.

I'm still curious but it's hard to argue against the logical simplicity of the "it's still Big T" comments.

If you hate "Big Tobacco" then that's a consideration. I don't. I knew damn well that smoking was bad and addictive when I started of my own volition right around my 18th birthday. Never once did BT force me to smoke; all they did is make a product available that I chose to buy and consume. If I end up getting sick or dying of a tobacco (or even vape) related illness, I will blame no one but myself.

 

[Irish Messing]

I was a Kamel Red guy, then just Camels and sometimes a Parliament so Marlboro Light isn't really the selling point for me - just a curiosity of how "real" it seems. I guess I need to look more into NETs for the flavor (unless I'm misunderstanding the difference between NET and WTA), straight nicotine is doing fine for me as far as cravings go. I wouldn't say I "hate" "Big Tobacco", just that if they tried to hide damning info in the past, it's hard to simply trust that the intentions nowadays are truly altruistic; there's no hiding what's in my DIY unflavored nic that I use now. I do have to appreciate your sentiment though; I understood for many years what I was doing, no one to blame but ourselves.

 

[Rossum]

it's hard to simply trust that the intentions nowadays are truly altruistic;

I'm certain their intentions are not altruistic (nor should they be). Their intentions are to keep making as much money as possible. But I think they've seen the writing on the wall with the decline in smoking rates and are cognizant of the fact that they need to offer less harmful alternatives to their traditional, combustible product line if they intend to remain profitable.

 

[Irish Messing]

I'm certain their intentions are not altruistic (nor should they be). Their intentions are to keep making as much money as possible.

they need to offer less harmful alternatives to their traditional, combustible product line

(I'll cherry pick a little here...) That's fair that they need to make as much money as possible. I'll offer a little anecdote: After working at my current job for ~18 years, I was made partner (small time but I'm still proud of it...) and there were multiple times over the years where I was "accused" (so to speak) of trying to "earn my place in Heaven" by doing what I thought was right by the customer. Where is the line between profit and sleeping peacefully? I truly believe that people can (and should) make a profit while helping others. Sorry to get so OT, I know I was only looking to get more info on IQOS...

 

[Rossum]

(I'll cherry pick a little here...) That's fair that they need to make as much money as possible. I'll offer a little anecdote: After working at my current job for ~18 years, I was made partner (small time but I'm still proud of it...) and there were multiple times over the years where I was "accused" (so to speak) of trying to "earn my place in Heaven" by doing what I thought was right by the customer. Where is the line between profit and sleeping peacefully? I truly believe that people can (and should) make a profit while helping others. Sorry to get so OT, I know I was only looking to get more info on IQOS...

I've been a business owner for almost 20 years now; I understand the dilemma.

 

[Beamslider]

Not knocking this as it may be safer than smoking. But I don't really see any benefit for me personally with this. I have gotten used to vaping and it satisfies me.

 

[Fredman1]

Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the tobacco plant but I HATE BT with a passion. The way they go about ensuring their profits is what enrages me. There was a time (the good old days when it was cool to smoke) when cigarettes was ONLY tobacco wrapped in paper. Natural nicotine and the dreaded "tar" produced, was the only "enemies". That though, didn't ensure enough profits for them because cigarettes weren't as addictive then. Those profits just weren't enough for them. They had to do something to make it more addictive to ensure more returning business. Adding a concoction of harmful chemicals that has the potential to kill prematurely is what they came up with. They then spent billions buying the right people in the right places to keep their "product" in the market.
They, are the biggest drug cartel this world has, or will ever see...and they're perfectly legalized.

 

[Jman8]

I dual use (though rarely smoke) and do not despise BT (though am more neutral on them than I was a couple years ago when I favored them in the larger fight going on).

I currently have a small desire to try one of these. The cost seems very steep. Compared to vaping and getting fully set up, it's perhaps a bit equal, but with vaping comes lots of flavors. Even if flavors get banned nationally (on legal market), I'd still stick to vaping due to flavors (being available on the black market).

The timing on Iqos being release is as suspicious as it gets. Sheeple won't notice. Politically aware vapers do notice and I'm guessing we all find it distasteful. Kinda like how an Iqos is without any (great) taste.

 

[Rossum]

The cost seems very steep.

Used exclusively, and compared to vaping, especially DIY, no question that it's expensive. My guess is the consumable Heets will be priced very comparably to cigarettes. But as something an occasional dual-user hits once in a while instead of a real cig, well it seem to me the price would be of little consequence.

The timing on Iqos being release is as suspicious as it gets.

I don't think it's the timing on IQOS itself. The PMTA was approved in April after more than two years of "review"by the FDA, when the black letter law of the TCA only allows them sic months. I wouldn't have expected Altria to begin building an inventory, leasing and outfitting stores, and doing all the other things necessary to release the product until they had the approval in-hand. In fact I think the FDA might have taken offense if Altria had started prior to the approval being granted. The fact that it took Altria six months to get that stuff done after approval is not terribly surprising.

Now the timing of the hysteria surrounding vaping right now, and the misrepresentation of the facts behind it, that's suspicious, at least to me. Not just in light of IQOS, but also with the PMTA deadline looming in May.

 

[Jman8]

Used exclusively, and compared to vaping, especially DIY, no question that it's expensive. My guess is the consumable Heets will be priced very comparably to cigarettes. But as something an occasional dual-user hits once in a while instead of a real cig, well it seem to me the price would be of little consequence.

As a dual user, I currently spend around $10 a year on smoking. A year ago, that number was about $100 a year. So, that shows how much I've cut back on my dual use.

I'm basing my cost info on this info from the article:

Altria will sell a bundle containing the holder and 200 heatsticks for $80. The holder costs $100 by itself, Sutton said.

I currently don't understand the terms enough to identify what I'd need to get set up, but the holder seems like an item you must have to use any heatstick. So that's $100 right there. Comparing $10 to $100 strikes me as being of rather significant consequence.

But I concede that *typical* dual use, where one spends $100+ annually, then it would be of little consequence.

 

[Rossum]

currently don't understand the terms enough to identify what I'd need to get set up, but the holder seems like an item you must have to use any heatstick.

I'm pretty sure "the holder" in this context means the device, which actually consists of two parts:

 

[iVapeDIY]

"The U.S. launch comes amid public panic over an outbreak of a deadly lung disease that’s killed at least 18 people. U.S. health officials have traced the illnesses to vaping."

Not sure how I missed that number.... it's climbed to 18 now?

FDA warns consumers to stop using THC vaping products - CNN

There have been 21 deaths confirmed from 18 states​

 

[Izan]

I'm pretty sure "the holder" in this context means the device, which actually consists of two parts:

There are other less expensive options...
$23.52 Authentic YOSTA FCD Mini 1000mAh Heat Not Burn Vaporizer Pen Kit at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

Cheers
I