I had a reporter come out the other day for a quick interview, check it out... See the link for pics and whatnot
FDA crackdown on e-cigarettes draws local criticism >> www.beaumontenterprise.com - Local
FDA crackdown on e-cigarettes draws local criticism
By COLIN GUY
June 3, 2009
Posted: June 3, 2009, 6:26 PM CDT
While trying to quit smoking, Betty Ainsworth tried nicotine gum, patches and lollipops. Nothing worked until she discovered a little-known product: The electronic cigarette.
The 65-year-old Port Arthur resident said the battery-powered device, which tries mimics the feel and flavor of a cigarette, has helped her cut down to no more than two or three real cigarettes a day, a feat she was never able to achieve with conventional smoking cessation products.
But Ainsworth's supply of the electronic cigarettes, which dispense a cloud of nictotine-infused vapor by means of an atomizer, is now threatened.
While some manufacturers of the device say they're not intended to help people quit smoking, the Food and Drug Administration considers them an unapproved drug-delivery device and has been preventing shipments from entering the country since earlier this year.
"We don't know what their contents are, we have no idea," Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the agency, told The Enterprise by phone from Washington, D.C., adding that they are not permitted for sale until manufacturers submit data from clinical trials proving that they are safe.
People who sell the devices disagree.
The contents are known, and they're safe, according to Brandon Allen, owner of Port Arthur-based eSmokerShop.com.
Electronic cigarettes work by heating up a mixture of liquid nicotine, artificial flavoring and propylene glycol, a common food additive also used to make vapor in fog machines.
That vapor, he said, causes a "kick" against the back of the user's throat similar to the feel of inhaling cigarette smoke, but the vapor does not contain any carcinogens and does not deposit tar on the user's lungs.
"Even though it's not FDA approved, anyone with half a brain can see that it's better than tobacco," he said.
Each device consists of a refillable cartridge containing the liquid solution, a battery and an atomizer that heats the liquid whenever a sensor detects a drag being taken from the mouthpiece.
The atomizers cost around $10 and the batteries about $15, he said, estimating that most users will go through one of each on a monthly basis. A 30 milliliter bottle of the liquid solution, which comes in both tobacco and a variety of fruit flavors, will generally last about a month and costs about $20, he said.
A typical smoker could expect to spend around $45 per month maintaining their nicotine habit with an electronic cigarette, he estimated, far less than the $150 a month a pack-a-day smoker is likely to spend on conventional cigarettes.
"If there's not a ban, I see it taking over," he said. "Honest to God, I see it pushing Big Tobacco out of the way."
In a lawsuit filed against the FDA by Smoke Everywhere, the Florida-based electronic cigarette distributor maintains that its products are not drug delivery devices like a nicotine patch, which the FDA can regulate, but rather tobacco alternatives.
Under present law the FDA does not have the authority to regulate tobacco products, but that could change and should it prevail, Smoke Everywhere's victory could be short lived.
Legislation filed in Congress would grant the FDA authority over tobacco products. While the bill does not reference electronic cigarettes, the liquid nicotine that users consume is derived from tobacco, which means it could fall under the FDA's authority in the long run regardless of the lawsuit's outcome.
If that happens, it's hard to tell what could happen to the industry, Allen said, noting that some have estimated that obtaining FDA approval could cost a manufacturer $1 billion and take up to eight years.
For Ainsworth, who credits electronic cigarettes with saving her life after the damage tobacco has done to her body, that could be a long, hard wait.
FDA crackdown on e-cigarettes draws local criticism >> www.beaumontenterprise.com - Local
FDA crackdown on e-cigarettes draws local criticism
By COLIN GUY
June 3, 2009
Posted: June 3, 2009, 6:26 PM CDT
While trying to quit smoking, Betty Ainsworth tried nicotine gum, patches and lollipops. Nothing worked until she discovered a little-known product: The electronic cigarette.
The 65-year-old Port Arthur resident said the battery-powered device, which tries mimics the feel and flavor of a cigarette, has helped her cut down to no more than two or three real cigarettes a day, a feat she was never able to achieve with conventional smoking cessation products.
But Ainsworth's supply of the electronic cigarettes, which dispense a cloud of nictotine-infused vapor by means of an atomizer, is now threatened.
While some manufacturers of the device say they're not intended to help people quit smoking, the Food and Drug Administration considers them an unapproved drug-delivery device and has been preventing shipments from entering the country since earlier this year.
"We don't know what their contents are, we have no idea," Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the agency, told The Enterprise by phone from Washington, D.C., adding that they are not permitted for sale until manufacturers submit data from clinical trials proving that they are safe.
People who sell the devices disagree.
The contents are known, and they're safe, according to Brandon Allen, owner of Port Arthur-based eSmokerShop.com.
Electronic cigarettes work by heating up a mixture of liquid nicotine, artificial flavoring and propylene glycol, a common food additive also used to make vapor in fog machines.
That vapor, he said, causes a "kick" against the back of the user's throat similar to the feel of inhaling cigarette smoke, but the vapor does not contain any carcinogens and does not deposit tar on the user's lungs.
"Even though it's not FDA approved, anyone with half a brain can see that it's better than tobacco," he said.
Each device consists of a refillable cartridge containing the liquid solution, a battery and an atomizer that heats the liquid whenever a sensor detects a drag being taken from the mouthpiece.
The atomizers cost around $10 and the batteries about $15, he said, estimating that most users will go through one of each on a monthly basis. A 30 milliliter bottle of the liquid solution, which comes in both tobacco and a variety of fruit flavors, will generally last about a month and costs about $20, he said.
A typical smoker could expect to spend around $45 per month maintaining their nicotine habit with an electronic cigarette, he estimated, far less than the $150 a month a pack-a-day smoker is likely to spend on conventional cigarettes.
"If there's not a ban, I see it taking over," he said. "Honest to God, I see it pushing Big Tobacco out of the way."
In a lawsuit filed against the FDA by Smoke Everywhere, the Florida-based electronic cigarette distributor maintains that its products are not drug delivery devices like a nicotine patch, which the FDA can regulate, but rather tobacco alternatives.
Under present law the FDA does not have the authority to regulate tobacco products, but that could change and should it prevail, Smoke Everywhere's victory could be short lived.
Legislation filed in Congress would grant the FDA authority over tobacco products. While the bill does not reference electronic cigarettes, the liquid nicotine that users consume is derived from tobacco, which means it could fall under the FDA's authority in the long run regardless of the lawsuit's outcome.
If that happens, it's hard to tell what could happen to the industry, Allen said, noting that some have estimated that obtaining FDA approval could cost a manufacturer $1 billion and take up to eight years.
For Ainsworth, who credits electronic cigarettes with saving her life after the damage tobacco has done to her body, that could be a long, hard wait.
The Wiz!
