On-line E-Cig Store to Donate to the American Lung Association (part of July 4 celebration)

[TennDave]

You're gonna love this one- I wrote in the "contact us" box and gave a link to ALA's FB page from Jan 13 when the ALA asked the public to oppose Groupon giving discounts for e-cigs and made it clear that they should not be giving a dime to the ALA. I also gave them a link to casaa.org. Please do the same if you have the time and inkling.

American eliquid Store

E Liquid and Electronic Cigarettes | Made in the USA


July 3rd: We’ll be taking 15% off of all hardware including batteries, charging equipment, cartomizers, atomizers and more! You can even get 15% off of any eCigarette kit in the store!

July 4th: In honor of Independence Day, we’re taking 25% off of all eliquid! That’s right, you save a quarter of the price on our great, American-made eLiquid for today only!

July 5th: What better way to give back to America than investing in a good cause? To cap off our three day sale, we’ll donate a dollar from every item sold to the American Lung Association in order to support their mission of a healthier nation.

EDIT: Evidently this came as a weekly news item to subscribers...one of the subscribers posted it in the Reo section where I frequent.

 

[kristin]

Wow. That's like the Outback Steakhouse donating it's profits to support PETA!

They have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AmericaneLiquidStore

 

[TennDave]

I know!!
I also wrote the owner of the store this morning: don-at-AmericaneLiquidStore.com

Here is what I wrote:

Hi Don,
I posted on your website too last night about this- I hope you get this and can stop something that you will gravely regret. You had sent out a newsletter to a friend of mine who let me in on this- your 4th of July celebration specials!! This newsletter is what prompted me to sign up to also receive your newsletter. Well, what concerned me was that on 7/5, you are going to be donating $1 for each purchase to the American Lung Association (ALA). The ALA is not our friend. They have actively petitioned and opposed the use of e-cigs and vapors everywhere. On January 13 of this year, they posted opposition to Groupons for a coupon regarding discounts on e-cigs and had a call out on their Facebook wall to the general public to write Groupons in opposition and to share with friends what a horrible thing Groupon was doing. The ALA disseminates misinformation about e-cigs saying that it is still smoking and that both vapors 1st hand and 2nd hand are toxic and therefore should be banned. Despite many of our efforts to dialogue with the ALA and point them to the correct information, they refuse to listen. They continue to push for legislation to ban of e-cigarettes and their use, both indoors and out (can you believe this?). Please check out the ALA's Facebook page and scroll down to January 13 in their timeline: https://www.facebook.com/lungusa Although the ALA does good in some respects, they are very big buddies with Big Pharma and are funded not only by donations but huge tax write-offs that are given to them by these companies- so no wonder they are against us. Instead of making donatoins to them, I would propose that you support CASAA.ORG instead. Anyway, if you could stop your donations and even make an announcement about this in your newsletter I think it would go a long way in establishing trust with your customers. Many vapors like me know of the ALA and their antics and your continued support of them will certainly keep me from ever buying any products from you- and I'm sure your customers "in the know" will feel the same way too.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Best regards,
David Exxxxxx

 

[kristin]

I posted on their Facebook page:

Did you know that electronic cigarette companies donating profits to the American Lung Association is akin to the Outback Steakhouse making donations to PETA?

The ALA would like nothing less than to see electronic cigarettes wiped off the face of the Earth. The article I wrote (see link) is from 2010, but the ALA still has not changed it's position on e-cigarettes. Check out CASAA.org. CASAA truly supports a healthier nation by endorsing tobacco harm reduction and informing smokers that their only option isn't "quit nicotine or die while trying to quit."

Unless you think it's a good idea to send money to organizations that want to put you out of business and force smokers to use ineffective gums and patches that cause them to go back to smoking, I'd recommend you don't send the ALA any of your or your customers' hard-earned income.

http://wivapers.blogspot.com/2010/04/american-lung-association-vs-electronic.html

 

[kristin]

This company seems to have been around quite a while and they seem to take great care in their manufacturing and batch tracking process and customer service. I'm curious how they limit/block purchases from minors (I didn't see anything on their site for age verification,) if they have warning labels in/on their packaging and whether or not the caps they use are child-resistant. That would make them close to a "model company," IMO.

 

[Placebo Effect]

I just spoke to two people with American Eliquid Store, and they will not be going forward with the plan.

Off the top of my head, I recommended donations to Alex's Lemonade Stand.

I'd like to recommend the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in Kennewick, WA based on this press release. I put in a call to the nurse listed as demonstrating both e-cigarettes and NRTs to check to see if she is truly on board with the product -- http://tccancer.org/uploads/Media Release -Tobacco Cessation4 12.pdf

 

[TennDave]

I just spoke to two people with American Eliquid Store, and they will not be going forward with the plan.

Off the top of my head, I recommended donations to Alex's Lemonade Stand.

I'd like to recommend the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in Kennewick, WA based on this press release. I put in a call to the nurse listed as demonstrating both e-cigarettes and NRTs to check to see if she is truly on board with the product -- http://tccancer.org/uploads/Media Release -Tobacco Cessation4 12.pdf

Awesome!!!! I'm glad they are not going on w/ their plan!! Great news!! I am curious about your other link- I'll check it out.

 

[TennDave]

I'm curious how they limit/block purchases from minors (I didn't see anything on their site for age verification,) if they have warning labels in/on their packaging and whether or not the caps they use are child-resistant. That would make them close to a "model company," IMO.

Maybe they do that at check-out??

 

[kristin]

And I got this response from my FB post on their page:

Kristin, thank you for this eye opening article. You'll be pleased to know that we've reconsidered our position on donating to the ALA and will instead be directing our charity to a cause that supports eCigs. Our intention was to try and help the ALA realize that eCigs are not here to help people continue their addition - but rather offer people an alternative to traditional cigarettes.

Rest assured, we still support the mission of the ALA, but not their stance on electronic cigarettes. Maybe someday when they take a more open approach to dealing with eCigs, we can fully help them support their cause. Until then, we're going to keep America healthy through causes that are more proactive when it comes to smoking alternatives.