Last Updated on Friday, 25 June 2010 08:26 Written by leaford Friday, 25 June 2010 08:26
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
~James Dent
Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.
– Bob Marley
Well, Summer is here, and V4L wants to usher it in with new vaping gear for everyone!
Now through midnight June 26th, get 20% off everything with promo code “SUMMERSALE”!
Last Updated on Thursday, 24 June 2010 08:33 Written by leaford Thursday, 24 June 2010 08:33
Warning! E-smoking Kills!!!
EEEeeeeeekkk!
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 June 2010 11:25 Written by leaford Wednesday, 23 June 2010 11:25
Auckland University’s Clinical Trials Research Unit has announced a six-month clinical trial of the safety and effectiveness of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation! Currently in set-up phase, the trial has the cute name of END-IT.
END-IT: ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DEVICE INTERVENTION TRIAL
Funded by Health Research Council of New Zealand, the study will be a single-blind randomized control trial. Participants will be recruited from Auckland, NZ, and will receive a standard 8-week course of either a 16mg e-cig, a placebo 0mg e-cig, or nicotine patches, as well as behavioral support. They will be evaluated for continued tobacco abstinence after 6 months, as well as secondary outcomes, and for adverse events.
This study received funding in June 2010 and is currently in set-up phase, with study documents being prepared and ethics and regulatory approval being sought.
I have a few concerns over the study design. For one thing, it is designed to evaluate tobacco abstinence after an 8-week course of e-cigs, so will they count continued e-cig use after the 8 weeks as success or failure? Six months isn’t really long enough, for another. And they gave no information on the size of the study.
But, it is a start. A start to the real solid research that we need. Blinded, randomized, placebo controlled, peer-reviewed and published, this will be a GREAT validation for our side when it is complete.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 08:59 Written by leaford Tuesday, 22 June 2010 07:33
As a even the incredibly unimaginitive could have predicted, here comes the inevitable counter attack by anti-nicotine forces.
Dr. Banzhaf (professor doctor, not Doctor doctor. And not Dr. Who) is someone whose name every e-smoker should know. He is the director of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) and he is one of e-cigarettes worst foes. I should do a profile post on him.
He has released a press release reacting to the same press release I mentioned yesterday (THC E-Cigs?), and it is exactly what I predicted:
“Potent” Marijuana Now Available in E-Cigarettes, Warns ASH
To the many dangers the FDA has already reported with e-cigarettes, add the many problems posed by inhaling at least three different “potent” strains of marijuana, warns Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 22, 2010 – “Potent” Marijuana Now Available in E-Cigarettes
Devices Used On Planes and Elsewhere Give “Vapor Rush”
To the many dangers the FDA has already reported with e-cigarettes — deadly and addictive nicotine, carcinogens and other toxic chemicals released into the air, possibly serving as “training wheels” to entice young teens into smoking, and threats to nonusers standing nearby — add the many problems posed by inhaling at least three different “potent” strains of marijuana as customers are urged to use the product “at the office, or even on the plane,” warns Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). http://www.vaporrush.com/
It’s Branzhaf’s usual fear mongering nonsense, but this time mixed in with a real concern. Gives the whole thing a plausible air.
ASH’s, in its legal petition to the FDA urging the agency to undertake enforcement action against e-cigarettes — which it has now begun to do — ASH noted that at least one manufacturer bragged that the cartridges inserted into the novel product to produce clouds of nicotine (a deadly and addictive drug which can contribute to fatal heart attacks), and propylene glycol (a respiratory irritant used in antifreeze and known to cause respiratory tract infections), also contained Cialis.
The Cialis mention, BTW, refers to this wonderful little offering from e-Cig.com:
http://e-cig.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=607
Every once in a while, men can have problems getting or maintaining an erection that is hard enough for sexual intercourse. With ED (erectile dysfunction), erection problems keep happening. More than 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 years experience ED to some degree.
Cialis is currently marketed in pill form for treating ED. It is more effective than Viagra and the effective time is longer than Viagra.
Cialis is insoluble white powder originally. By the successful cooperation with Medical Research Institute, we have developed this new Vaporable Cialis which have the same characteristic and the same effectiveness as the original Cialis.
Oh, lovely. Now we’re also perverts. Nicotine addicts, junkies, and perverts. I feel like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents.
Back to Dr. Branzhaf:
The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] has already warned that e-cigarettes pose “acute health risks,” that the “danger posed by the unrestricted distribution of [these] unregulated products containing toxic chemicals cannot seriously be questioned,” and that they have caused a wide variety of potentially serious problems “including racing pulse, dizziness, slurred speech, mouth ulcers, heartburn, coughing, diarrhea, and sore throat.” The agency ruled they are “illegal.”
Aspirin has worse side effect warnings.
Now, on top of these dangers, there may be additional ones as users are able to “smoke” marijuana in their workplaces, and in other public places including airplanes surreptitiously (without any smell or smoke as the sellers brag), and where bystanders — including young children, the elderly, those with a variety of medical problems, and those who do not wish to get even a little bit high — can be exposed.
I can’t joke about this part. This is a real problem. And this is how the FDA might win its argument that e-cigs are drug delivery devices.
One day, when e-cigs have found their place in the legal system and society (and the tax structure), then maybe there will be places for products like Vapor Rush. But Dude, you’re going to harsh ALL our plans, man.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 04:54 Written by leaford Tuesday, 22 June 2010 04:54
“The first step binds one to the second. ”
French Proverb quotes
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jEjFYiD2CoedIv_2zTjchS7Z41KAD9GG8UIO1
FDA takes its time on tobacco regulation
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM (AP) – 10 hours ago
RICHMOND, Va. — A year after a new law put tobacco regulation in the hands of the Food and Drug Administration, one thing is clear: It will likely be years before any of the most aggressive steps to reduce deaths from smoking might happen.
When President Barack Obama signed the bill into law last June, anti-tobacco advocates suggested it could lead to a reduction in nicotine levels, a ban on menthol cigarettes or other aggressive moves.
…
That’s my fear in a nut shell, that if e-cigs are classified as a tobacco product, we my be subject to the same regulation, and the same reductions or bans.
And strengths and flavors aren’t just side features, extras, they’re what really make e-cigs work.
The FDA’s measured approach hasn’t stopped it from making changes prescribed by the law: limiting marketing, especially to children; banning flavored cigarettes except for menthol; removing labels such as “light,” “mild” and “low-tar” from cigarette packs; and increased the size of warning labels on smokeless tobacco. It has also begun to look at the ingredients in cigarettes as well as the health impacts of menthol and dissolvable tobacco products.
…
While the law doesn’t let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco outright, the agency could lower nicotine to non-addictive levels. And that’s exactly what former FDA Commissioner David Kessler, who championed the anti-tobacco public health movement, wants to see happen.
“The tobacco industry knew 40 years ago that there was a threshold below which people would quit,” Kessler said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Reducing the level of nicotine in cigarettes will change cigarette smoking as we know it. It is the ultimate harm reduction strategy.”
Most smokers ingest between 1 to 3 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette. Kessler suggests that the FDA lower that number to between 1 and .5 milligrams.
While some will argue such a proposal is akin to prohibition,
Well, duh.
making cigarettes less addictive would reduce the vast majority of the more than 400,000 deaths per year from smoking in the U.S., Kessler said.
“It is now time to reverse the trajectory of smoking initiation, sustained addiction and premature death,” he said. “Ultimately the agency’s success needs to be measured in terms of the number of people who smoke and the number of kids who start.”
Kessler’s suggestion to make tobacco less addictive deserves “serious consideration,” said the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ Myers.
…
It’s the whole confusion over what the dangerous part of smoking is dangerous. It’s not the nicotine, and it’s not the addiction. It’s the smoke. We should all have t-shirts printed up, “It’s the smoke, stupid!” And then go marching down to his office.
There are two approaches to regulating tobacco use: one that says there’s no safe way to use tobacco and pushes for people to quit above all else. Others embrace the idea that lower-risk alternatives like smokeless tobacco and other nicotine delivery systems like gum or even electronic cigarettes can help improve overall health.
The law lays out the possibility for both, prescribing a scientific approach to improve public health, said Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.
“There’s multiple strategies the FDA will be considering,” Deyton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We certainly have not made any determination on one side or another.”…
See, now that’s a measured, reasonable response. Too bad he’s talking about tobacco, and he’s the same guy who hasn’t shown the same measured restraint towards e-cigs.
Deyton did not say whether Kessler’s suggestion would become a reality, but said the law does allow the FDA to set nicotine levels.
No matter the approach, Deyton said he wants Americans to trust what the agency’s work on tobacco.
“We now get the opportunity to speak the truth about tobacco products and do so in a reasonable way,” Deyton said. “We will not do it as zealots, we will not do it as aggressive government. We will do it in a methodical, reasonable way.”
…
OK< I just left that part in so we could get a good laugh. "Opportunity to speak the truth..." "We will not do it as zealots..." Har, de har, har. HA!
Within the next year, a scientific panel will issue recommendations on how the FDA should regulate menthol-flavored cigarettes. Smokes with the minty flavoring are a key area for growth in a shrinking cigarette market. Most industry observers think a menthol ban is unlikely.
…
Yeah, sure. Because Menthol is for grownups, but flavors are appealing to children. Or because it just shouldn’t be enjoyable. Or whatever.
But that only applies to cigarettes and e-cigs, not on nicorette lozenges, even the new little candy like ones.
Or, ironically, on dissolvable tobacco pellets like these:
Last Updated on Monday, 21 June 2010 05:13 Written by leaford Monday, 21 June 2010 05:13
I remember the old days on ECF, when Christian first started Johnson Creek. We were all so excited about the first US made e-liquids. Good times…
http://www.cigarettesflavours.com/electronic-cigarettes/electronic-cigarette-flavors-are-catching-fire/
Electronic cigarette flavors are catching fire
Johnson Creek — Christian Berkey was a nearly two-pack-a-day smoker when he heard about electronic cigarettes, a device that vaporizes a solution of water, nicotine and flavoring without the smoke and the combustion. Berkey went on the Internet and ordered the device. “I was stunned. I took a puff, and it gave me the same experience as cigarettes,” Berkey said. “It looked like smoke coming out, but you can’t smell it. It addressed the tactile sensation of smoking.” There was one problem.
“I was not thrilled by the taste,” he said. “Chinese smoke juice had a chemical aspect to it.”
Berkey decided he could do better. He wasn’t worried about perfecting the pen-like device, which carries a battery and usually has an LED light on the end. He believed the solution to a successful smoking experience was to make the smoke juice taste better.
Berkey went to work, testing various formulas and trying to improve the taste. That was in November 2007. By February 2008, he started to see some results. Two months and countless variations later, he found the formula he liked.
Unlike the Chinese version, which contains countless ingredients, Berkey’s formula was simple, using only seven ingredients.
In July 2008, Berkey quit his job as a manager of an Apple retail store and took the plunge.
He started to talk about his product on online forums devoted to e-cigarettes. He offered consumers free samples. The feedback he was getting was good.
“They loved it,” he said. “No one wanted to touch the Chinese stuff.”
I do take a bit of exception to Christian’s harping on “the Chinese stuff,” especially over the number of ingredients. You want to reduce your ingredients from “countless” to “seven?” Just lump them all together as “flavorings.” But that’s marketing, no serious criticism. Christian was the first one to make non-chinese e-liquids, and big kudos to him for it.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 05:49 Written by leaford Monday, 21 June 2010 04:25
Please, someone tell me this is a joke! 
14k gold atomizer with laser ingraved personal message 510
$15,000.00
non joyetech , no warranty
your message must be less that 42 characters.
5 Units in Stock
This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 08 June, 2010.
No batteries to go with it, though.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 07:36 Written by leaford Monday, 21 June 2010 03:25
It had to happen, and now it has.
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=164550
Vapor Rush, an LA based company, has begun marketing THC-laden e-cigs, “with a special formulation made from pure kief that comes from the best strains of marijuana. Vapor Rush is a new way to smoke bud that allows you to smoke anywhere without a lighter, smell, shake, smoke and unwanted attention.”
“You can also enjoy three different varieties: haze, bliss and rush. These three types are taken from potent sativa and indica strains of cannabis. It is simple, safe, fun, and the hottest item in dispensaries!”
Their website offers “Royal Blues” e-cigarette kits priced at $100, nicotine carts at $10, and JWH (an artificial THC) carts for $15. Marijuana carts must be purchased at medical marijuana dispensaries.
Not sure what model the Royal Blue is, but it looks like either a 501 or 4081 cartomizer unit. Probably a 510, based on the Janty Ego on one of their ads.
Personally, I’m of mixed minds about this. I think it is a good thing for medical marijuana users to have another option besides smoking their prescriptions. E-cigs were invented to give smokers a healthier way to enjoy our nicotine, why shouldn’t pot smokers be able to use the same technology to enjoy their THC?
But, OTOH, it’s pretty plain that the intent here is not primarily aimed at medical users, or even for healthier recreational use. Even in Vapor Rush’s own press release they wrote, “Jim, one of the developers of this product said “now I can get high while watching a game, at the office, or even on the plane.””
And that’s the key difference, and why I come down against THC e-cigs. As much as us potheads love our weed, it is illegal, and the real intent behind a THC e-cig is not to be healthier than a joint, but to be able to “get away” with getting high in public.
And that’s not going to be good for our industry. As under attack as e-cigs are already, and as much as the “for the children” banner get waved in our faces, once the potential for kids to use e-cigs for drugs gets raised we are all in a world of trouble.
How ironic would it be if marijuana were to become a weapon against us in the fight to ban e-cigs, when marijuana just might become legal in California anyway?
Edited: As predicted here is the inevitable backlash:
“Potent” Marijuana Now Available in E-Cigarettes, Warns ASH
Read my post about it here:
Here Comes the Counter Attack
Last Updated on Monday, 21 June 2010 10:04 Written by leaford Monday, 21 June 2010 10:04
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/tobacco-growers-meet-to-plot-strategy-against-who-flavor-ban/381574
Domestic and international tobacco growers are gathering in Jakarta today for a two-day meeting aimed at formulating a strategy to fight against the adoption of a ban on flavored cigarettes under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The Indonesian Tobacco Alliance (Amti) and the International Tobacco Growers Association, a US-based nonprofit growers association, on Sunday urged the Indonesian government and the governments of neighboring countries not to adopt Articles 9 and 10 of the framework that effectively ban flavored tobacco products.
Sudaryanto, the chairman of Amti, which organized the meeting, said banning flavored cigarettes could cost Indonesian growers up to $450 million per year and threaten millions of jobs.
He said an independent US ban on flavored cigarettes in place since last year had already cost growers here $270 million.
…
The US Food and Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes in September, saying they encouraged younger people to smoke.
Last Updated on Monday, 21 June 2010 10:06 Written by leaford Monday, 21 June 2010 09:56
THe proposed NY e-cig ban seems to have, thankfully, faded away into legislative limbo.
But here’s why we have to be so worried about it returning next session.
New York Governor David Paterson wants to raise tobacco taxes and collect levies on cigarettes sold to outsiders from American Indian reservations.
The proposals are part of Paterson’s 12th consecutive emergency spending plan, scheduled for a June 21 vote, to keep the government operating for another week. The measure is needed as lawmakers and Paterson haven’t agreed on a comprehensive budget that closes a deficit estimated at $9.2 billion when the fiscal year began on April 1.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/albany-expected-to-ok-cigarette-tax-boost-monday-1.2039911
ALBANY – Lawmakers are expected Monday to approve a $1.60 increase in the state tax on cigarettes to $4.35 per pack, and to again attempt collecting taxes on Indian tobacco sales to non-Indians.
The measures will raise $440 million to help close New York’s $9.2-billion budget deficit. Gov. David A. Paterson included them in emergency spending bills required to keep state government running
As far back as when American Indians used tobacco leaves as currency, tobacco has meant money. And NY state needs money. E-cigs threaten one of governments fastest and most reliable revenue streams. So, we’d best stay on our guard.
Last Updated on Saturday, 19 June 2010 09:51 Written by leaford Saturday, 19 June 2010 09:51
I’ve been trying to help out with the CS e-mails at V4L, with Val gone, and decided that some of the questions I see are good ones that others would benefit from. So I’m going to post some of them here from time to time, along with my answers.
Hey Val,
I appreciate the quick response.
Everything is working as advertised – very happy! (using pass thru while
typing this – Killer vapor!!)
Questions: (this will end someday, promise)
-Does 100% VG produce as much vapor as all the others and why are they
half the price?
-Boil carts or just run hot water thru and blow out?
Thanks much.
Dave
Hi Dave.
I am sorry, Val has unexpectedly left V4L, but I will be trying to fill in.
VG actually generally produces more vapor. Until we debuted our premium and WOWvapor carts, they produced the most vapor of any cartomizers on the market. Now, I would say that many, but not all of the Premium flavors produce as much as old style VG cartos, and some of the wowvapors produce more.
That’s why the VG is so low. Some people need it, so we’re making it as affordable as we can, and then when it’s gone, we will debut a new, improved VG line, possibly WOW-VG.
And some people swear by boiling, but it’s not really necessary on a regular basis. Most people just use hot tap water for regular cleanings, and use boiling after they’ve been through a few fill/wash cycles.
Hope that helps,
Leaford!
