WSJ: E-cigarettes Fire Up Investors, Regulators

[Vocalek]

E-Cigarettes Attract Investors, Regulatory Scrutiny - WSJ.com

A group including Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker is investing $75 million in a leading maker of electronic cigarettes, part of a wave of money firing up a market that is under increasing regulatory scrutiny.

The market for e-cigarettes—battery-powered devices that turn heated, nicotine-laced liquid into vapor—is small but growing rapidly, in part because they are increasingly seen as less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

Mr. Parker, who co-founded the music-sharing site Napster and was the first president of Facebook Inc., is part of an investment group acquiring a minority stake in Scottsdale, Ariz.-based njoy Inc., one of dozens of e-cigarette companies that have surfaced since 2006.

"There's a huge opportunity to transition the entire world away from dangerous, carcinogenic, combusting cigarettes," said Mr. Parker, who has been a big donor to cancer research, in an interview.

 

[Vocalek]

NOTE: The WSJ allows you to read an article or two, and then begins to block access and dinging you to sign up for a subscription. This is triggered by browser cookies. To regain access, use your browser's internet tools to clear cookies. Close and reopen the browser, and then you should be able to get to the article.

 

[Bill Godshall]

or try this link
E-Cigarettes Attract Investors, Regulatory Scrutiny - WSJ.com

 

[Bill Godshall]

WSJ reporter Mike Esterle ask four of the wrong questions faced by FDA, as the answer to the first is clearly NO, the answer to the second is IRRELEVANT to consumer and public health, while the third and fourth questions FALSELY ASSUME THAT FDA REGULATION OF E-CIGS IS NECESSARY despite no evidence that FDA regulations would benefit public health, and mountains of evidence (e.g. Section 905(j) and Section 911' ban on all e-cigs not on market prior to 2007) documenting that it would be a public health disaster and create blacks markets (just as occurred when FDA unlawfully banned them in 2009).

Among the questions faced by federal regulators: Could e-cigarettes, which currently offer flavors such as chocolate, strawberry and piña colada, serve as a gateway to traditional cigarettes for young people? Will longtime smokers use them only to get a nicotine fix where regular smoking is banned? What kind of age restrictions and warnings should they carry? And what about advertising?

 

[DC2]

I SERIOUSLY wish I could have gotten in on this.

 

[Luisa]

WSJ reporter Mike Esterle ask four of the wrong questions faced by FDA, as the answer to the first is clearly NO, the answer to the second is IRRELEVANT to consumer and public health, while the third and fourth questions FALSELY ASSUME THAT FDA REGULATION OF E-CIGS IS NECESSARY despite no evidence that FDA regulations would benefit public health, and mountains of evidence (e.g. Section 905(j) and Section 911' ban on all e-cigs not on market prior to 2007) documenting that it would be a public health disaster and create blacks markets (just as occurred when FDA unlawfully banned them in 2009).

Bill,would you write a letter to WSJ responding to Esterles" article? Your responses are always so effective refuting inaccurate information. You have a wealth of knowledge and the credibility to be effective.

 

[Vocalek]

I emailed the reporter a copy of Bill's comment.