Terrible San Francisco Chronicle Blog ("Another pack of lies")

[Placebo Effect]

Another pack of lies: "Electronic" cigarettes, or, a smoke by any other name : Steve Heilig : City Brights

. . .

For me, though, it's also a bad flashback. Long ago, Big tobacco used to claim that "four out of five doctors prefer" certain cigarette brands. Then when that was no longer permitted, they long fought any claims that second hand smoke was harmful. When that was no longer possible to for anyone rational to believe or claim, they looked for other ways to market their lethal wares.


E-cigs are only one of the latest tricks in pushing tobacco to people, and to subverting anti-tobacco education and restrictions. Unhealthy components have been found therein; the FDA is fighting to regulate them as a drug delivery device [what a great journalist this guy is!], as with regular cigarettes. The World Health Association denies that e-cigs are a legitimate smoking cessation method. Canada holds that e-cigs pose similar nicotine addiction risks and banned them. Former Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have banned their sale in California. They are banned in some public places in other states, and on flights. They can't be sold to minors but have been flavored with fruit and candy. The nicotine content in some e-cigs has been understated in labels and is sometimes much higher than in legitimate smoking cessation products. These supposedly "safer" cigarettes undermine secondhand smoke regulations and make them harder to enforce. And so on....

. . .

4. Can San Francisco again take a proactive role in anti-tobacco policy by regulating e-cigarettes like any other tobacco product?


So the message is: Don't believe the hype. Tobacco - however consumed - remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death. Every time the tobacco industry has presented a "safer" form of smoking, it has turned out to not be true. The American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and American Cancer Society all hold that e-cigarettes should be regulated under the same rules as regular tobacco products - which means no marketing as "healthy," no use in public places where others are exposed, and so forth. And very tight restrictions on marketing in general, including in newspapers and other publications, online and otherwise. I agree, and hope San Francisco's leading media and other authorities will too. We don't allow marketing of toxic chemicals to consumers, and especially to young people, as 'healthy." Yes, prohibition doesn't work, but health-based regulation does, and as we know much about how to regulate tobacco to minimize harm, we should do that with e-cigs too. To allow otherwise is a big step back in the Tobacco Wars, and many lives are at stake.

Any San Francisco e-cig users who would be willing to submit an op-ed in response?

 

[Noodoggy]

someone needs to take away this guy's computer lol even b4 I started vaping I knew better information about e-cigs than this blogger. All it takes is a little research and a little critical thinking. Sadly today these two things are a little lacking.

 

[TNT]

It's great to read the comments, particularly Mr. Heilig's own response to comments of the type that would left by members of this forum:

By now, most of us who have worked to reduce tobacco harms are used to the sort of heated nonsense some of the responders below offer.

Rest assured though that the writer isn't against vice in general. If you're into shooting smack, he's got your back...

I am a longstanding proponent of harm reduction, having authored some of the early policies on needle exchange, methadone, etc - but this is a sham version of that; I do believe e-cigs might be less harmful than regular ones, but that's not saying much

E-cigs are a sham version of needle exchanges and methadone? Does anybody in San Fransisco ever get tired of fulfilling a stereotype?

 

[PlanetScribbles]

I tend to trust the WHO, FDA, and yes, medical and public health authorities, etc more than tobacco interests and anonymous (eg, cowardly) critics

And there is the exact reason why the bunny rabbit grew his fluffy little tail. Mr Heilig is trusting the wrong people because of a false belief that 'legitimacy' guarantees morality. That is incorrect. WHO and FDA are as morally lacking as Pol Pot and will say whatever it takes to give them the most profitable or politically expedient outcome.
Sometimes, it is the 'anons' that are the only people who don't have an alternate agenda.

 

[Placebo Effect]

Can we get someone from the Vapor Cast or a similar show to reach out to Mr. Heilig (his e-mail is linked at the end of the article) and invite him on to debate a CASAA board member about the merits of e-cigarettes?

 

[rothenbj]

Can we get someone from the Vapor Cast or a similar show to reach out to Mr. Heilig (his e-mail is linked at the end of the article) and invite him on to debate a CASAA board member about the merits of e-cigarettes?

That is a brilliant idea. I'd love to hear that debate. I don't think he'd be willing to put himself on the line considering the content of his opinion piece. He appears to be working with some factoids from the distant past.

In this corner we have Mr. Heilig, Flyweight contender. And in this corner we have Mrs. Keller, Heavyweight Champion of the World!

 

[Vocalek]

That is a brilliant idea. I'd love to hear that debate. I don't think he'd be willing to put himself on the line considering the content of his opinion piece. He appears to be working with some factoids from the distant past.

In this corner we have Mr. Heilig, Flyweight contender. And in this corner we have Mrs. Keller, Heavyweight Champion of the World!

True, but I am trying to lose a few pounds.

 

[mrjaguar]

MY GOD!! I hate stupid people.. and Mr Heilig ranks way up there.. my response below. grrr.

mrjaguar 12:47 PM on June 28, 2011
Wow. Yet Another person who publicly posts incorrect information. Mr Heilig, If you're going to post information about PV's (personal vaporizer, which is the correct term for an ecig), you should make sure you're posting correct information, not that garbage that was posted that was incorrect when it went out, AND you should try to check all your facts. the FDA has decided to follow the law, and has declared Electronic Cigarettes to be regulated as a tobacco product. those of us who use an ecig do it as a Harm Reduction technique, not to quit smoking (though that does happen frequently). so... PLEASE, make sure you know what you're talking about when you decide to go and post information that is INCORRECT! As far as I'm aware, big tobacco has nothing PV style on the market, and even if they do, they are a small portion of the market.
thanks.

 

[Placebo Effect]

Dr. Siegel responds -- The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: Another Anti-Tobacco Advocate Accuses Electronic Cigarette Companies of Promoting Tobacco Use and Being Funded by Big Tobacco

 

[Vap0rJay]

Dr. Siegel responds -- The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: Another Anti-Tobacco Advocate Accuses Electronic Cigarette Companies of Promoting Tobacco Use and Being Funded by Big Tobacco

"The goal of every c-cigarette company is to encourage smokers to switch from tobacco cigarettes to electronic (non-tobacco) cigarettes. The fewer tobacco cigarettes the smoker uses, the more money the e-cigarette companies make."

Right... $5 or MORE a day for a pack of analogs... Gone in a day...
$10 bottle of eliquid.. gone in a month.

"the more money the e-cigarette companies make"

If I move to DYI mixing (minus the source for the nic) what e-cig company? Couple bucks here and here on atomizers.... maybe. But seriously?

EDIT: Then again, I forget people get suckered into those TV "clubs" and the whole blu/greensmoke pvs. And sure, there are also the crafty who want to try to make a quick buck on selling a mod.

 

[Vocalek]

I believe that there will always be people who want the convenience of pre-filled cartridges. They want to be able to just slap on a fresh cartridge and go. I'm not one of those people, but they do exist.

 

[DC2]

I'm trying to post this but it keeps telling me that it is unable to add my comment at this time...

As posted by geneb5:
"These e-cig companies are really into "viral marketing," hijacking message boards to function as their own freebie PR Newswires, pretending to be satisfied e-cig customers, and touting their health claims and websites. They're all over the 'net, and this message board already seems infested with them."

Let me tell you what happens when a long-time smoker who has failed to quit by any other means buys an electronic cigarette...

1) About 80% of them quit smoking
2) Those that do are absolutely freaking amazed
3) They become impassioned and want to help others
4) Some of them become advocates to fight the good fight
5) They get very angry when they read garbage like this

Electronic cigarettes are BY FAR the best way to quit smoking ever invented, and they are becoming more and more popular every single day.

And yes, by all means let's wait and see what more doctors have to say about them. Oh, wait, we can go ahead and do that right now if you want...

Dr Murray Laugesen, Health New Zealand wrote:
Switching to e-cigarettes with nicotine continued, can be expected to reduce lung cancer risk the same as altogether quitting cigarettes without e-cigarettes.

Dr. Joel Nitzkin, Chair, Tobacco Control Task Force, American Association of Public Health Physicians wrote:
We have every reason to believe the hazard posed by electronic cigarettes would be much lower than 1% of that posed by [tobacco] cigarettes.

Paul Bergen, M.Sc., M.L.I.S. is a Research Associate at the Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta wrote:
Though it is likely that the health risks of long term use of e-cigarettes are negligible, whatever small risk there is, is beside the point. The point is that whatever risk there may be, that risk is so much smaller than that of smoking. Smoking has so many health risks that any article about e-cigarettes that ignores the comparison impedes the progress toward a healthier population."

I'd post a bunch more if I had more room, but at least go and see what Dr. Dean Edell has to say about them.

And I'll leave you with this study done by Dr. Michael Siegel, which was posted earlier in this thread, but is so important that it needs to be posted again...

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf

As for the author of this article, may I suggest you do some research on this subject, because the only one in danger of changing their mind on this subject is you.

 

[DC2]

I wound up being successful in posting the above as two comments.
Not sure why I had to do that when it said I had 15 characters left, but oh well.

Now I just went back and looked and they removed the entire second post with the doctors comments.
I am going back to post it again, and if they remove it again I'm going to get .......

EDIT: Successfully reposted, for now.

 

[Katya]

San Francisco banned children's toys in McDonald's Happy Meals, gold fish (but not sushi) and now they are trying to ban circumcision. They just like to ban things, methinks...

 

[Demarko]

I wound up being successful in posting the above as two comments.
Not sure why I had to do that when it said I had 15 characters left, but oh well.

Now I just went back and looked and they removed the entire second post with the doctors comments.
I am going back to post it again, and if they remove it again I'm going to get .......

EDIT: Successfully reposted, for now.

You didn't sign with your real name, so he'll probably disregard the whole post. Because, you know, using your real, full name on the internet is ALWAYS a good idea.

 

[Demarko]

My reply was as follows:

Mr. Heigil, let me start by saying your service has some issues. First, it asks for a real name while registering, and then proceeds to inform us that we shouldn't use our real name in our login name. That's fine, I have nothing to hide, and I don't have a high enough credit score to worry about people stealing it from me.

This, of course, is contrary to you asking us to use our real names. Which is a bit of an internet no-no.

I'm Chris Johanson, I (was) a 22 year smoker and I live in Washington State. My interests lie in web and database programming. I'm also a bit of a D&D buff - as evidenced by my (admittedly feeble) amazon rank. Back in high school, I used to do graffiti with paint pens, and sometimes, I'd get caught skateboarding where it wasn't allowed.

Now that we know eachother, a little bit, why do you think that the tobacco companies have anything to do with the first real competition they've ever had? I can't prove a negative, anymore than I can prove that bigfoot doesn't exist, I can't prove there was no second shooter on the grassy knoll, and I can't prove that there were no rockets shot into an airplane off the eastern seaboard.

In the case of electronic cigarettes, 3rd grade science tells you that if you heat something to the vapor (steaming) point, the molecular structure remains the same, just more "busy" (for want of a better word). If you are purchasing your liquids from an american company, where you can watch the process of creation of said liquids, and all are considered GRAS by the FDA... There can really be no harm.

Now, if you are concerned about consumables imported from china... I have to agree. The tests on such do sometimes contain contaminants... And the companies that import those should be fined appropriately. The same with any other consumable. Personally, I get the liquid for my PV from a reputable, local source, where I can (if I want) check on the manufacture... And every, single, ingredient is approved for consumption in the USA. Since the molecular structure does not change by vaporizing said liquid, can it really be that bad?

 

[ROTSEN911]

1. "Are "thehealthyconsumer" and other e-cig marketing sites and advertising funded by tobacco companies?"

I almost fell from my chair when I read this question.. poor man, i think he really dont have any idea on what's he is saying.

 

[MattZuke]

My mother got caught in the "ecigsbrand" scam, which is sell a rn4081 for $6.00 shipped, subscribe you to cartos for $8/each. She doesn't smoke, but thought it was such a good deal as a gift for someone.

The problem is ecigsbrand is a scam, but the gent didn't report on the scam. He reported paranoia about "big tobacco" advertising for e-cigs.

"Here we go.
The Healthyconsumer is a front for ecigsbrand.com, formally KnightSticks.

Their product is SX-RN4081, made by Shenzhen SiXin Electronic Co (SXDX - Guangdong China- Iris Wang).

Also sold as Njoy Pro and Smoking Everywhere Gold. You can begin your conspiracy research here, Civil Case No. 09-771 DC district court, 14Jan2010.

Given anyone can contact Iris Wang and get these units @ ~$2.00/each (alibaba.com), and supplies, your challenge is to find "Big Tobacco" finding SiXen. The evidence to date supports e-cigs competing with both Big Pharmaceutical and Big Tobacco, but

If you do find a conspiracy to get people off tobacco onto something else, will more people get cancer and die, or less?"