Language: "combustibles", "craft e-juice", e-cigs etc

[Berylanna]

I think we need to get our language inline with the types of language most-likely to resonate with both the media (who are very liberal and pro-nanny, and I'm saying this as a liberal!!!!) and with both 'enemies' and fellow-travelers.

1. "Craft Juices" -- One very disturbing issue to me has been repeated reports of regulators and anti-THR advocates referring to our beloved juice vendors as "amateurs" or "Kitchen chemists" -- bringing up images of the toxic labs in hotels, rental houses, and forests, that are poisoning California and other areas where illegal substances are manufactured.

I think "Craft Juices" -- invoking the idea of "Craft Beers" -- is a much better image. Better even than "small businesses" because every body knows that Craft Beers are small and independent -- but SAFE!!!

Even at the FDA hearing, one juice vendor suggested that e-juice should be regulated the same was as "spirits", which presumably the FDA regulates for safety and dosage only, not for every single freakin' ingredient, not saying you cannot add sugar etc.

2. "Combustibles" -- It was clear from the FDA hearing that even our enemies are very aware that "combustibles" (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, etc) is drastically more harmful than other tobacco products, so if we want to defend e-cigs (including WTA juices and Natural Tobacco Extracts, which many of us need to stay off combustibles) I think we should stop saying "It's Not Tobacco" and saying, instead, "it's not combustible" -- "It's not smoke inhalation" -- or even if we say "It's not Tobacco for the fruit juices, call the stinkys "combustibles" instead of "analogs."

3. "e-cigarettes" -- It looks like the word e-cigarettes got loose into the media worldwide and we can't stop it at this point. For me, that is a reason to rename cigarettes, cigars, and pipes "combustibles" -- so there are smoked and smokeless products, we're on the "smokeless" side.

The reason I'm not suggesting to increase emphasis on the word "smokeless" even though I like it is because of the mouth-cancer campaigns being run by tobacco-prohibitionists, and because my newphew used to spit ugly nasty tobacco juice when he was using "smokeless" tobacco and I don't want to bring up that image.


Comments please?
So, other advocates, including CASAA -- comments? (Remember, we're trying to get the media to knee-jerk in our favor! I don't want my congresscritters to be afraid to say they voted to amend the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to limit the FDA's authority to combustibles, or something similar, for fear of repeated nasty questions from the press.)

I'm especially suggesting that people use these words when commenting on articles online, and if talking to the media. But I'm not a honcho in any of our advocacy groups.

 

[Berylanna]

Or "Artisan" ?

 

[kristin]

1) Personally, I hate the word "juice" used for e-liquid You mentioned your nephew's tobacco juice and that is always what comes to mind when people call e-liquid "juice." I've always like "boutique companies" when referring to the custom e-liquid and device makers vs. mass-marketed products like Njoy or blu. Although, blu still uses USA-made boutique nicotine solutions from Johnson Creek.

2) Agreed. CASAA generally avoids using "smokeless" and uses "smoke-free" instead. However, we also don't argue that it's "not tobacco" because accepted science shows that it's the SMOKE that causes the smoking-related disease and death, not "tobacco." Vilifying tobacco because of the adverse affects of smoking is like vilifying cars because of drunk drivers. Using "it's not tobacco" is being disingenuous, because we know that not all tobacco is equally harmful. Better to argue it's not SMOKE. Besides, tobacco-sourced e-liquid is on track to be classified as a tobacco product, which is legally defined in the U.S. as "any product made or derived from tobacco." We tend to use "traditional cigarettes" when referring to "analogs."

In general, I personally feel it's prudent to avoid any e-cigarette slang outside of the forums, as it sounds foreign and smacks of drug culture to non-vapers. When I can, I try to use "consumer" instead of "user," "manufacturer," "retailer" or "company" instead of "vendor" or "dealer and avoid words like "hit," "fix," juice," "analogs,""mom & pop," etc. I've even been using "nicotine solution" in place of "e-liquid" when I can. "E-liquid" sounds mysterious and weird and "juice" sounds addictive or gross, but "nicotine solution" conveys that 1) it's not full-strength nicotine and 2) it's made in a clean lab. "Combustible" is a good word for smoked products and CASAA uses it often.

3) Yep, the "don't call them e-cigarettes" train left a long time ago. Besides, the ANTZ don't care what they are called, they care what they look like when someone is exhaling vapor, especially from a cigarette look-a-like; and that they don't require peple to become nicotine abstinent. Of course, part of CASAA's mission is to educate the public that smoke-free tobacco (ie. "smokeless") is still a reduced harm alternative and the message from the ANTZ and government that oral cancer is a significant risk is a lie. We hope to counter those "mouth cancer campaigns." If we succeed in our mission, the word "smokeless tobacco" won't have the stigma the ANTZ have created.

"Electronic cigarettes are a smoke-free, reduced harm (or modified risk) alternative to combustible, traditional cigarettes."

 

[Berylanna]

I don't like "nicotine solution" because not all e-liquid has nicotine, though I agree I'm more worried about regulation of the nicotine-containing solutions. (Maybe instead of saying 24 mg or 24 we should also be saying 2.4%)

I've seen enough slang in comments outside the forum that I think there is a benefit to trying to change our language habits INSIDE. It will affect how we talk to our families who want us to quit smoking, and in turn how they talk to their friends.

And the media folks might lurk if they get interested-enough to do a story. (Of course they'd only lurk if we DON'T want them to )

 

[MarVp]

1. I think "craft juice" still needs attachment to e-cigarettes, so perhaps "craft e-juice" or "electronic craft juice" would be better when referring to the boutique type.

2.Yes, much prefer referring to the dangerous type as "combustible cigarette". Analog is a stupid invention of a name to call "combustible cigarettes", besides being technically wrong. An "Analog" of something is a "copy", or "similar". If anything the e-cig is the analog. I know someone was trying to get crafty by using that term to refer to and imply combustible cigarettes as being "old school" (as something modern would be electronic or digital of course), but in reality the term analog is just confusing to everyone.

3. I agree that e-cigarette and e-cig have taken a hold. I had an idea which I posted in another thread, which was to refer to them as an "electronic inhalator" or "e-halator" for short, especially when referring to them in medical or official settings. This idea was taken from a page from the book of the Australian Health and Ageing department, who changed the definition of the "nicotine inhaler" to "nicotine inhalator", for the purpose of implying that the nicotine is absorbed through the mouth and not the lungs. They did this in attempting to distance those devices (yes you remember, those white plastic things) from electronic cigarettes, as they then went on to imply that the main form of nicotine delivery for electronic cigarettes is to the lungs (without quoting any substantive evidence of course). This assumption granted them a mechanism to classify electronic inhalators in a different section to nicotine inhalators in their poisons scheduling document. From what I have read I am fairly sure they are incorrect here and electronic cigarettes have a similar mode of delivery (primarily absorbed through mouth) as to that of the nicotine inhaler (inhalator). Link Here to the document and my reasoning.

 

[j4mmin42]

This topic is something I brought up in my most recent blog post: The FDA and Why Vaping Won't Die

Vape on!