Big Tobacco - Are they a good or bad thing?

[nate42nd]

It's already starting to happen. I understand a large tobacco company purchased a large e-cigarette company. They are doing commercials, giving out free starter kits, and rolling out a new brand in Colorado. I wonder what these large, established companies will do to the market. I just heard a radio ad offering a free battery, charger, and some pre-filled cartos....in Utah.

On one hand, these large tobacco companies already have lawmakers on speed dial. They have connections, and money. They could be very good for e-cig users. We might see quality go up and prices go down. ???

On the other hand....if people stop smoking tobacco....they will make less money on tobacco. They could easily see this as competition and crush the e-cig market.

I would hedge my bets if I were a big tobacco company. I would buy up small, popular e-cig companies. They will go wherever the money takes them I suppose. Are they on our side or not? I hope so, because they WILL get legislation passed and take the market up (or down) depending on what makes shareholders happy.

Any info would be appreciated. Here is a link to browse.
Camel Maker Returns to TV With E-Cig Ad 43 Years Later - Bloomberg

 

[danca90]

Getting Ecigs out is important. If BT started making juice, you could pick up juice wherever cigarettes are sold. Just like when Camel started to make snus.

 

[Tvan]

They will be pushing their own agenda pushing to get things in their favor. A wolf in sheeps clothing.

 

[Penn]

This topic again?

Altria (Philip Morris) is about a month behind Reynolds with their Markten.

I don't see much change from big tobacco except numbers of people. Their market research keeps indicating people want simple so they go cigalikes and disposables. Maybe when enough people start getting interested other stuff it will change.

I'm doubting they will go after liquid and refillable with lobby money to ban, as many here believe, because they don't see it as a threat.

 

[Scarey]

I think they could go either way. I'm hoping, that with their influence, they can sand down the FDA's teeth. Limit their efforts to regulating nic fliud with age restrictions and production standards, as opposed to the more unpleasant alternatives...

 

[GypsySyx]

Three words for this: History repeats itself.

 

[NiNi]

I'd be concerned about what "additives" they might add into the mix. (I don't trust them) I have no use for cig-a-likes, many others do, and if BT can do it HONESTLY, more power to them. It may help many diminish their possibility of smoke related health issues or even quit smoking. Just don't let them interfere with the non-e-cig-a-likes and e juice by the bottle.

 

[ut1205]

They pretty much left the RYO market alone. There just weren't enough of us to mess with. On the other hand, Obama raised the taxes on bulk tobacco by more than 20 fold.

BT is our friend in the sense that they have pockets deep enough to keep vaping legal. Most people will only replace analogs with vaping if it is easy and BT products offer that advantage. Once it (vaping) really takes off we will be a minority not worth a second glance.

 

[cdsaint66]

They pretty much left the RYO market alone. There just weren't enough of us to mess with. On the other hand, Obama raised the taxes on bulk tobacco by more than 20 fold.

BT is our friend in the sense that they have pockets deep enough to keep vaping legal. Most people will only replace analogs with vaping if it is easy and BT products offer that advantage. Once it (vaping) really takes off we will be a minority not worth a second glance.

I hope this is accurate, but don't really believe it. I just find it very hard to trust Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, or the government. They are all pursuing their own agenda (no surprise there) and my fear is that we could be crushed underfoot either by accident or purposely.

 

[Tvan]

These guys won't be interseted in paving a path for us.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9JkcHW_w114&desktop_uri=/watch?v=9JkcHW_w114

 

[tobacco-kills]

The tobacco industry, along with the military industrial complex, and many other large corporations are the cancer of this society. They will rob American Joe for every penny he is worth. They have power, influence and finance and nothing can stand in there way. What they want done will be done. When Electronic cigarettes are deemed enough of a threat to tobacco sales, thats when they will put out the fire. Just look at every other industry, there is a reason mom and pop shots or brick and mortar stores don't succeed anymore. corporate power. Everytime a new idea comes out, such as these brilliant vaporizers we are vaping, they are quickly attacked, dismantled and than produced under a new cooperation.

Lets hope this industry doesn't see the same fate.

 

[Johnny101]

I wouldn't trust them with anything

 

[Penn]

Three words for this: History repeats itself.

In what way?

 

[klynnn]

I think prefilled cartos are the most expensive way to go. No wonder that is what they are doing.

 

[ut1205]

I don't trust them either but all they are interested in is money. BT is not going to go after mods, DIY juices, or probably juice sellers because there is just not enough money in it. I read where vaping is approaching 2 billion dollars per year and that is just "chicken feed to BT. That's what it takes to "buy off" a couple of Senators and Congressmen. My personal opinion is the only group we have to fear is the government. They have no profit incentive and everything they seem to do recently is based on 100% emotion. What could possibly be more emotional than "saving our children".

 

[klynnn]

If you think the gov't doesn't profit check out the amount of taxes they get on a pack of cigs. It's a racket.

 

[GypsySyx]

In what way?

It's pretty obvious that big tobacco is in cahoots with big pharma and the government and like poisoning us with their "tastier," "safer,"and "improved" products and then taxing us for our bad habits. It's a cash cow for them all and they have each others' backs.

The government and big pharma protect big tobacco because they make money off the poison. Big pharma loves you sick kaching $$ and the government loves to tax you kaching $$.

Tobacco and probably big pharma lobbyists in return stufs the pockets of lawmakers for the protection, all the while also using social pressure and mindwashing to vilify the very people they are robbing blind. Clever racket. They should get these people on RICO.

And it's pretty obvious they want to retain control over any new cash cow that takes its place and will do the same thing to it that it did with cigarettes...they will poison the e-juice and speak with forked tongue pretending to appease the masses while milking every last drop out of the cow.

Same reason big oil buys into green or renewable energy...pretending to care about people and the environment but in reality just staving off the future to milk every last drop of their current cash cow and to gain control over the new one too.

 

[Johnny101]

BT is just mad because vaping is cutting into there profits people are making a change for the better and BT hates it

 

[Penn]

It's pretty obvious that big tobacco is in cahoots with big pharma and the government and like poisoning us with their "tastier," "safer,"and "improved" products and then taxing us for our bad habits. It's a cash cow for them all and they have each others' backs.

And it's pretty obvious they want to retain control over the new cash cow that takes its place and will do the same thing to it that it did with cigarettes...they will poison the e-juice and speak with forked tongue pretending to appease the masses while milking every last drop out of the cow.

Same reason big oil buys into green or renewable energy...pretending to care about people and the environment but in reality just staving off the future to milk every last drop of their current cash cow and to gain control over the new one too.

Obvious? The only obvious thing in what you are saying is, as a business they want to continue making a profit. The rest is conjecture. If their aim is to exploit addiction then the same can be said of e-cig businesses.

People give BT too much credit for ability to steer the FDA. The FDA can make bad decisions all by themselves.

I will agree that big pharmaceutical is and obvious threat but not just to the e-cig industry. At the same time as being a threat they have also helped society by most people's definitions of "helping society".

 

[wv2win]

It appears that many have not visited the CASAA web site, or read the Tobacco Analysis report or the Smoke Free Pennsylvania web site. BT and several of the largest vaping retailers (FIN especially) have already encouraged the FDA to ban ALL internet sales of vaping supplies, especially e-liquid. Their goal appears to be to capture the market through regulation and not competition (as they would lose some of that battle). They are not interested in any vaping supplies other than cig-a-likes with sealed cart only e-liquid.

If this concerns you, as it does many of us on ECF, then my suggestion is to join and support CASAA.