If They Can't Beat Us...

[tricci]

Nick at Grimmgreen.com posted a very interesting story: http://wiki.blucigs.com/1565/blu-ci...onic-cigarette-company-acquired-by-lorillard/

The Lorillard tobacco Company (makers of Newport and the third largest cigarette manufacture in the US) bought Blu Ecigs on April 25th. This is interesting news indeed, big tobacco buying an ecig company, is it a case of if you can't beat us join us (or buy us)?

Is this a further indication that vaping is here to stay and is indeed the future?

What are your thoughts? What do you think is good about this? What do you think could be bad about this?

 

[rookbartley989]

Well if they didn't buy it to kill it, then they would certainly have the money to promote/back it...and the money/pocket politicians to fight anyone else who would try to kill it...e-juice with the little government hologram on them???

Ron -

 

[blkhwk07]

I'm sure they seen the profit potential in it.
You can bet the Government is watching also.
So they can get a piece of the pie.
A very BIG piece!

 

[ego-fan]

well I am Paranoid as H... whenever and whereever big business is involved....I would NEVER buy e-liquid from Big tobacco, I would be highly suspicious about the ingredients...just look at the additives in cigarettes


Big Tobacco......j,accuse

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

well I am Paranoid as H... whenever and whereever big business is involved....I would NEVER buy e-liquid from Big tobacco, I would be highly suspicious about the ingredients...just look at the additives in cigarettes


Big Tobacco......j,accuse

BT is going to be so careful about what is in their E-liquid and it will be squeaky clean, the ANTZ will be checking it for anything they can find at the nanogram or below level and then broadcasting it without giving quantities. See the FDA 2009 press release.

 

[ego-fan]

In my town ..we have a saying...: all things being equal...some are more equal than others....
Paranoia is prevalent in my neighbourhood.


It takes a fool to remain sane.........and I am no fool

 

[Fusselkater]

All we can do is watch them carefully what they are doing.
In the long run the tobacco companies have to join the eCig market.
Pretty much every business that doesn't evolve will die someday.

 

[doctoronln9]

What worries me more than Big Tobacco buying up a ecig company is if their lobbyist start trying to shut down custom eLiquid makers. Or, God Forbid, start banning "non-tobacco and menthol" flavors. That's what made me vape to begin with! Got to have my cloves.

 

[Tiny]

From what I've read so far, the "e-cig" market is increasing and Lorillard has lost anywhere between 4 and 10 percent (depending on which article you read) of it's business in the last year. On the surface it would look like a smart business investment on their part.

But from my standpoint as a user, I feel the need to watch this closely as for the reasons stated by others. I'm sure smaller suppliers will be feeling pressure from the FDA to conform to certain standards which of course means higher prices.

I also feel that there should be some standards that are not in place right now. There are no ingredients listed on the juice I buy, what's in the flavoring and coloring being used? I've seen bottles of juice that don't show the PG/VG ratio, some of juice at the local B&M doesn't have what nicotine strength it is on the label. We don't know for sure what's in the stuff we're putting in our bodies, we have to take our supplier's word for it.

So far this seems like a very trustworthy industry, but all it will take is one bad guy out there and everyone will screaming for oversights and regulations. We're lucky that there are no bad guys on the internet.

 

[Stef64]

Or, God Forbid, start banning "non-tobacco and menthol" flavors. That's what made me vape to begin with! Got to have my cloves.

That is the least of my worries. If they do, just get some unflavored liquid (unless they ban that too) and add some food grade flavoring to it. All DIY flavoring for ejuice is food grade anyway.

 

[tricci]

What worries me more than Big Tobacco buying up a ecig company is if their lobbyist start trying to shut down custom eLiquid makers. Or, God Forbid, start banning "non-tobacco and menthol" flavors. That's what made me vape to begin with! Got to have my cloves.

That is my biggest worry as well. BT, when they have a big enough share in the Ecig market, taking down smaller boutique juice houses that put out amazing stuff (ex. Ms. T's, AVE, Want2Vape, etc.). Even before Lorillard bought Blu, we all knew it was only a matter of time before BT entered the ecig market. My hope is that their entrance can be positive by bringing ecigs more legitimacy and expand the ecig market, while not harming the "mom and pop" businesses that 9 times out of 10 produce the best vaping stuff.

I am wary of BT and I don't think I'd ever buy a product from a company own by BT, but who knows...

 

[DC2]

There is also a huge thread about this in Media and General News subforum for anyone interested...
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/media-general-news/290817-lorillard-purchases-blu-e-cigs.html

 

[Forkeh]

Well this could either be really good, or really bad for us, depending on the direction they take it. It'd b e hard to outlaw a device promoted by someone with pockets as big as Lorillard. On the other hand, with their monetary influence, they could also easily push for the FDA to regulate the industry. This could be bad news for small time, and even big time internet vendors, if ejuice goes the way of tobacco, and they outlaw transportation through mail.

They could also push for such heavy regulations, even if the mail transportation isn't an issue, that put most, if not all of internet vendors out of business, making them, and a handful of others dominant of the industry. That would certainly be bad news. As we've seen with the Oligopoly in tobacco (at least in the US), mostly dominated by Lorillard, RJ Renolds, and Philip Morris, quality control goes out the window, they add pretty much whatever they want to the products, and competitive pricing is long gone.

I'm really not sure how this will go. But I don't think I like it.

 

[Forkeh]

All I know for sure is that I'll never buy anything from the likes of Big tobacco again.

 

[tricci]

Well this could either be really good, or really bad for us, depending on the direction they take it. It'd b e hard to outlaw a device promoted by someone with pockets as big as Lorillard. On the other hand, with their monetary influence, they could also easily push for the FDA to regulate the industry. This could be bad news for small time, and even big time internet vendors, if ejuice goes the way of tobacco, and they outlaw transportation through mail.

They could also push for such heavy regulations, even if the mail transportation isn't an issue, that put most, if not all of internet vendors out of business, making them, and a handful of others dominant of the industry. That would certainly be bad news. As we've seen with the Oligopoly in tobacco (at least in the US), mostly dominated by Lorillard, RJ Renolds, and Philip Morris, quality control goes out the window, they add pretty much whatever they want to the products, and competitive pricing is long gone.

I'm really not sure how this will go. But I don't think I like it.

I feel you on all of that. I'd like to think BT getting into ecigs would be great, ecigs everywhere, lots of advertisement, people starting to vape left and right and all the small vendors remain in place. But, BT could use it's power to corner the market and push the smaller (and better) fish out of the pond.



Closing...Multiple thread...please see:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/media-general-news/290817-lorillard-purchases-blu-e-cigs.html