Interesting comment by Phillip Morris USA

[strictlybusiness]

Checkout this statement that I found in an article about the tobacco regulation under the FDA.

The nation's largest tobacco products maker, Philip Morris USA, supports FDA regulation, arguing that federal standards for their manufacture and sale in the United States would benefit the industry and could result in products that are less harmful than cigarettes.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ecig industry gets absorbed by some of these mega corporations.

 

[Nuck]

Philip Morris supports and actually helped create the bill because the regulation hurts the competitors. It has nothing to do with health and everything to do with shutting down it's smaller competitors.

 

[Tone]

Roger that Nuck. they will squash the competition then put out a version of ecig themselves just my opinion

 

[lachesis]

If involvement of Phillip Morris means better quality control and better, more reliable and consistent yet cheaper product, I'm all for it. They certainly won't roll over and die, and they'll try best to put themselves in a "good" position - and they have money and resources to pull this off.

 

[Idahojo]

This is a little worrisome. Whenever the big boys get involved, look out! Hang on to your bootstraps Martha, this is going to be a bumpy ride!

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Well, if you think that statement bothers you, look back a bit and have a gander at the original statement by Altria (owns Phillip Morris) and when they decided to jump ship and band together with the FDA.

Bridging the Divide: A Shared Interest in a Coherent National Tobacco Policy

It's all there in black and white. Phillip Morris is attempting to squash the competition. FTC! Where are you!?! This is a clear cut case of a monopoly going very very wrong and worse, manipulating Congress to do it!

And I do hope everyone is aware that this bill going through Congress would require all products put on the shelves since Feb 2007 be pulled and go through FDA approval. It also seems fishy to me that Phillip Morris would get to sit on the advisory board for the FDA to determine how all of their competitors products should be regulated. Things that make you go hmmmmm....

 

[Nicotine]

In Austrialia e-cigs are banned due to the government there believing It will be another way to get kids hooked on regular cigarettes. With major tobacco companies getting in on the e-cig act this will only go to strengthen this opinion, and make more people resistant to e-cigs. So i personally see a sinister plan forming here.

Just as a tag on - why do people refer to cigarettes and analog? Don't wish to be pedantic, but both forms e-cig and tobacco cigs are strictly analog in the true meaning of the word.

 

[Kaston]

If involvement of Phillip Morris means better quality control and better, more reliable and consistent yet cheaper product, I'm all for it.

I expect to be much more expensive. I get 30ml of juice for $10 which lasts me for 10 days. When I smoked, it was a pack at day at $6 a pack.

Cigs: $6 a day
Vaping: $1 a day
Avg cost of supplies: ~$2 a day

I doubt they would take a 50% cut in profits even is e-cigs and juice are cheaper than tobacco.

 

[caywen]

If a big evil tobacco company makes a really good e-cig, well, if lovin the lord is wrong i don't wanna be right.

 

[BenJammin]

Just as a tag on - why do people refer to cigarettes and analog? Don't wish to be pedantic, but both forms e-cig and tobacco cigs are strictly analog in the true meaning of the word. ----Nicotine

"True meaning" depends on context.
If nicotine delivery is seen as a signal transmission, then e-cigs are in fact digital. They are either "ON" or "OFF". There is no in between state. The instant you stop inhaling, they stop transmission. Tobacco cigs are analog because while lit, they are constantly "ON" even when not being inhaled they still burn. They "do not go to zero" while in use, only when done. A lit cigarette is always lit, the intensity of the burn varies with the drag. With an e-cig you can not change the intensity of the "burn", only the duration of the drag; i.e. how long the switch stays on.
Not trying to stir up trouble, just trying to justify using what I find to be a really cool turn of phrase: "I'm encouraging all of my friends who smoke to go digital so I can keep them around longer." I really love wordplay and this just gives me the warm fuzzies.

 

[Nuck]

Just as a tag on - why do people refer to cigarettes and analog? Don't wish to be pedantic, but both forms e-cig and tobacco cigs are strictly analog in the true meaning of the word. ----Nicotine

"True meaning" depends on context.
If nicotine delivery is seen as a signal transmission, then e-cigs are in fact digital. They are either "ON" or "OFF". There is no in between state. The instant you stop inhaling, they stop transmission. Tobacco cigs are analog because while lit, they are constantly "ON" even when not being inhaled they still burn. They "do not go to zero" while in use, only when done. A lit cigarette is always lit, the intensity of the burn varies with the drag. With an e-cig you can not change the intensity of the "burn", only the duration of the drag; i.e. how long the switch stays on.
Not trying to stir up trouble, just trying to justify using what I find to be a really cool turn of phrase: "I'm encouraging all of my friends who smoke to go digital so I can keep them around longer." I really love wordplay and this just gives me the warm fuzzies.

I think you're confusing digital with binary.

When I first started I swore I'd never use the term 'analog' since it made no sense and sounded a bit goofy. In spite of that, I find I've been corrupted and catch myself using the term even to people who have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

[spakk]

If involvement of Phillip Morris means better quality control and better, more reliable and consistent yet cheaper product, I'm all for it. They certainly won't roll over and die, and they'll try best to put themselves in a "good" position - and they have money and resources to pull this off.

My two primary concerns are time and money. What's a poor e-smoker supposed to do while the competition is being destroyed. I'd be hard pressed to see all of the extra regulation and expensive R&D equating to a cheaper product.

They may build the better mousetrap, but that's cold comfort for the mice.

 

[Oldnamenomore]

I think you're confusing digital with binary.

When I first started I swore I'd never use the term 'analog' since it made no sense and sounded a bit goofy. In spite of that, I find I've been corrupted and catch myself using the term even to people who have no idea what I'm talking about.

no he is right about digital and analog signals

_|-|_|-|_|-|_ digital signal high being 1 low being zero

/\ __/\__/ this would be an analog signal with the place between lines being 0
__\/__\/
I love them being referred to as analogs but I am a nerd
ignore the ___ in the analog signal just there to make the /\ line up

 

[Nuck]

no he is right about digital and analog signals

_|-|_|-|_|-|_ digital signal high being 1 low being zero

/\ __/\__/ this would be an analog signal with the place between lines being 0
__\/__\/
I love them being referred to as analogs but I am a nerd
ignore the ___ in the analog signal just there to make the /\ line up

Digital usually refers to information that is encoded numerically. Binary is a simple on and off state most commonly associated with bitwise data.

 

[Palmetto]

Phillip Morris is attempting to squash the competition. FTC! Where are you!?! This is a clear cut case of a monopoly going very very wrong and worse, manipulating Congress to do it!

And I do hope everyone is aware that this bill going through Congress would require all products put on the shelves since Feb 2007 be pulled and go through FDA approval. It also seems fishy to me that Phillip Morris would get to sit on the advisory board for the FDA to determine how all of their competitors products should be regulated. Things that make you go hmmmmm....

Double, triple, quadruple, hmmmmmmm.....

 

[katink]

Awhh, lets not be difficult on the analogs and digitals... digitals are steel with a chip inside, analogs are paper with a piece of a plant inside

As to 'let Big Tobacco get it, if they make e-cigs then great'... well, I hope you don't mind my thoughts being 'wonder what lethal poisons they will throw into this one as soon as they get their grubby hands on it, just to make sure we again won't be able to escape for the next three centuries or so'.... I would fear with big fear if BT were to win this fight! (Which they well might of course... for instance, remember that article in the washington post? About the e-cig being investigated at VCU? Well, that's tobacco-country, tobacco-university - the biotech-lab in which this investigation is doubtless happening is even built by Philip Morris. So they are allready quite busy with copying I expect.

 

[Nuck]

Awhh, lets not be difficult on the analogs and digitals... digitals are steel with a chip inside, analogs are paper with a piece of a plant inside

You win

 

[Tugger]

It's not in any company's interest to kill their customers. If big tobacco could make a safer cigarette without getting raked over the coals for admitting their previous cigarettes were dangerous they'd do it.

It's pretty evil for them to kill e-cigs legislatively, but that's the nature of capitalism. It makes total sense in their current environment. If they had the incentive to support and produce safe e-cigs they would do it, and probably will eventually.

 

[lachesis]

I expect to be much more expensive. I get 30ml of juice for $10 which lasts me for 10 days. When I smoked, it was a pack at day at $6 a pack.

Cigs: $6 a day
Vaping: $1 a day
Avg cost of supplies: ~$2 a day

I doubt they would take a 50% cut in profits even is e-cigs and juice are cheaper than tobacco.

True, but also at the same time they'd have more positive revenue.
Also cigs are expensive, because all the taxes - and if vaping is indeed proved healthier than analogs and if they provide a better/safer solution for cartrdige/refill - I doubt the government would have any leverage to tax e-cigs as much as they can with current analogs.

Plus, manufacturing / atomizers etc... it'd be a good business for them. Plus it'd put them in a good light in forseeable future.

 

[lachesis]

My two primary concerns are time and money. What's a poor e-smoker supposed to do while the competition is being destroyed. I'd be hard pressed to see all of the extra regulation and expensive R&D equating to a cheaper product.

They may build the better mousetrap, but that's cold comfort for the mice.

I guess you are correct, and when big tobacco companies are indeed willing to enter e-cig market, I hope there would be several ones with good competition with both safety, better qc, and price. Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, but I do feel some sort of regulation is really needed for e-cigs - from the production to ingridents, performance, and all. If it's going to be a little bit more expensive than current ones - if they last twice longer and perform twice better and all - I wouldn't mind paying a little extra.