Borrowed from fortliberty.org
Why is Big tobacco Threatened By Electronic Cigarettes?
Well, lets see, it took more than 4 decades since the surgeon general first declared smoking a health hazard, before we had a senate bill passed to put Big tobacco under the authority of the FDA to regulate cigarettes within the next year. The Tobacco lobby spent more then $300 million USD to combat this legislation to finally lose in the summer of 2009. Now, throw in the electronic cigarette industry which is not taxed, cheaper, and allegedly (were not allowed to say that private tests show e-cigs are healthier ) safer, and you start to understand the threat. Should Big Tobacco have been more focused on acquisition of e-cig companies over the past few years, rather than smokeless tobacco companies? Other alleged impacts of Big Tobacco include lobbying to have PayPal, Amazon, and eBay consider electronic cigarettes tobacco products and make use of their services against the terms of service for purchasing e-cigs or receiving payments as an affiliate seller of their products.
Why Are Specified States Threatened By E-Cigs?
Its not just Big Tobacco that doesnt like electronic cigarettes, the nicotine replacement therapy industry is not a big fan of the product. Although sufficient lobbying was conducted to not permit e-cig companies to promote their products as smoking cessation devices, the NRT industry has still seen a hit in overall sales due to the number of smokers who have turned to e-cigs instead of the various NRT products on the market (think patch, lozenge, gum). Just recently, the state of New Jersey voted to apply the same restrictions on e-cigs that are placed on traditional tobacco cigarettes, despite the evidence in place to prove that the devices are not harmful. Its probably just a coincidence that many of the popular nicotine replacement therapies produced in the United States that have lost market share to e-cigs are made in the Garden State.
Where Does the FDA Play Into the Legality of Electronic Cigarettes
On July 23rd, 2009, the FDA released their initial round of testing on e-cigs that was conducted on May 4th, 2009. Their initial testing stated that e-cigs were linked to cancer and the products were as dangerous as traditional tobacco cigarettes. Since then, the FDAs findings have been debunked through comprehensive testing conducted in the United States and U.K. Using internationally approved standards recognized by more than 59 developed countries. The Federal Court has also ruled that the FDA does not have authority over electronic cigarettes.
So, stepping back a bit, what did the FDA really do in the spring and summer of 2009?
What is the Way Forward?
The way forward for smokers and non-smokers alike, is to continue to educate ourselves about the issues and how lobbyists can impact our lives and rights. If you are involved in a debate on the accepted use of electronic cigarettes in your area, make the facts be discussed and reviewed, before rushing to an un-informed decision similar to the state of New Jersey. You can read more about e-cig issues and products at the Electronic Cigarette Sale website.
Why is Big tobacco Threatened By Electronic Cigarettes?
Well, lets see, it took more than 4 decades since the surgeon general first declared smoking a health hazard, before we had a senate bill passed to put Big tobacco under the authority of the FDA to regulate cigarettes within the next year. The Tobacco lobby spent more then $300 million USD to combat this legislation to finally lose in the summer of 2009. Now, throw in the electronic cigarette industry which is not taxed, cheaper, and allegedly (were not allowed to say that private tests show e-cigs are healthier ) safer, and you start to understand the threat. Should Big Tobacco have been more focused on acquisition of e-cig companies over the past few years, rather than smokeless tobacco companies? Other alleged impacts of Big Tobacco include lobbying to have PayPal, Amazon, and eBay consider electronic cigarettes tobacco products and make use of their services against the terms of service for purchasing e-cigs or receiving payments as an affiliate seller of their products.
Why Are Specified States Threatened By E-Cigs?
Its not just Big Tobacco that doesnt like electronic cigarettes, the nicotine replacement therapy industry is not a big fan of the product. Although sufficient lobbying was conducted to not permit e-cig companies to promote their products as smoking cessation devices, the NRT industry has still seen a hit in overall sales due to the number of smokers who have turned to e-cigs instead of the various NRT products on the market (think patch, lozenge, gum). Just recently, the state of New Jersey voted to apply the same restrictions on e-cigs that are placed on traditional tobacco cigarettes, despite the evidence in place to prove that the devices are not harmful. Its probably just a coincidence that many of the popular nicotine replacement therapies produced in the United States that have lost market share to e-cigs are made in the Garden State.
Where Does the FDA Play Into the Legality of Electronic Cigarettes
On July 23rd, 2009, the FDA released their initial round of testing on e-cigs that was conducted on May 4th, 2009. Their initial testing stated that e-cigs were linked to cancer and the products were as dangerous as traditional tobacco cigarettes. Since then, the FDAs findings have been debunked through comprehensive testing conducted in the United States and U.K. Using internationally approved standards recognized by more than 59 developed countries. The Federal Court has also ruled that the FDA does not have authority over electronic cigarettes.
So, stepping back a bit, what did the FDA really do in the spring and summer of 2009?
- The FDA tested 18 cartridges from two FOREIGN e-cig companies. One cartridge had trace amounts of diethylene glycol (DEG) in the cartridge. Also, the Tobacco specifice nitrosamines (TSNA) were found in low levels in both companies products (much lower than traditional tobacco cigarettes), but that makes sense since some foreign companies get their nicotine from live tobacco (dont forget that the NRTs have much higher rates of these chemicals in them).
- The companies tested were Smoking Everywhere and 4 total cartridges from Njoy.
- We dont know why the FDA waited almost three months to release their report nor why they chose to not test a U.S. Based e-cig company.
- We do know, that all U.S. E-cig companies release their ingredients and testing results through internationally approved organizations on their websites while we still dont really know what is in a traditional tobacco cigarette.
- We have not seen reports of illnesses or death from e-cigs how many millions is it for tobacco now?
What is the Way Forward?
The way forward for smokers and non-smokers alike, is to continue to educate ourselves about the issues and how lobbyists can impact our lives and rights. If you are involved in a debate on the accepted use of electronic cigarettes in your area, make the facts be discussed and reviewed, before rushing to an un-informed decision similar to the state of New Jersey. You can read more about e-cig issues and products at the Electronic Cigarette Sale website.
