It’s good to see in factual terms that e-cigarettes do work as advertised and deliver that satisfying dose of nicotine most smokers crave, without the added chemicals and harmful elements.

This new study does find the normal nicotine rate to be slightly lower in ecigs than traditional cigarettes.

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Sources:

http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/04/21/ntr.nts103.abstract?sid=57d8a432-1091-4fbe-ac41-aa7e1131b1ca

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22529223

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http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=H%2E0747&Session=2012

Arizona legislation (SB 1280) to ban e-cigarette sales to minors approved by Senate, sent to governor.

http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=SB1280&Session_ID=107

Kansas legislation (HB 2324) to ban e-cigarette sales to minors amended and approved by Senate, referrred to House for concurrence.

http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/measures/hb2324/

http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/measures/documents/hb2324_02_0000.pdf

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http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/casaa/279997-springfield-mo-compromise-e-cigs-offered-ala-aha-acs.html

Springfield (MO) City Council amends (with 9-0 vote) deceptive voter approved smoking ban to remove e-cigarette provision, and to exempt some facilities from the smoking ban.

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Moments before now-former Mayor Jim O’Neal resigned, City Council unanimously passed changes to Springfield’s smoking ban.

O’Neal said in the meeting that he was only going to support one omnibus bill. That way, all the others (see below) didn’t have a chance.

“Let the people vote in June,” he said.

Amendments to a voter-approved initiative can only change with a unanimous vote.

Councilman Doug Burlison called the style of the meeting “dictatorial.” The Council took heat from the public on both sides, but a bill passed.

“We’ve come to the middle and sought a compromise,” said Mayor Pro Tem Bob Stephens.

“The fact that both sides are not happy with us shows we have truly reached a middle ground,” said Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky.

The amendments the Council passed have a set of grandfather clauses. The date you need to remember if April 5, 2011. That’s the cut-off for these exemptions.

The smoking ban will no longer stop people from lighting up in tobacco shops if they were around on that date.

That grandfathering also applies to certain bingo parlors, cigar bars, private clubs. The amendment exempts e-cigarettes from Springfield’s ban as well. It also allows for smoking on stage in a theatrical productions.

A repeal of the ban, brought forth by an initiative petition process, goes to voters in June.”

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120508/NEWS06/305080091/Smoking-proponents-support-amendments-Springfield-smoking-ban-as-good-initial-step-city-council-Just-for-Him?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=642552

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The release contained many partial truths and misleading statements that caused electronic cigarettes to be banned in many different countries. The release did not actually falsify information, but instead presented the facts in a way that tricked consumers into thinking e-cigarettes were likely to cause cancer or contained dangerous ingredients.

The report stated that the e-cigarette cartridges “contain carcinogens, including nitrosamines, and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol.” Yes, this statement is technically true, but the release did leave out some very important context, and the wording makes the findings seem much more threatening than the reality. It is important to note that Vapor King liquid is independently tested and contains ZERO TSNA’s or diethylene glycol which we’re found in the tested products.

The release states that the cartridges contained carcinogens, including nitrosamines. This implies that the cartridges contain multiple carcinogens, when in reality, the only carcinogens found were tobacco specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs. 8 nanograms of TSNAs can be found in 1 gram of liquid; each cartridge only contains .5 grams of liquid. To put this in perspective, a full-flavor pack of cigarettes can contain up to 126,000 nanograms of TSNAs. Smokers can choose to continue smoking and consume thousands of TSNAs per day, or use electronic cigarettes and only be exposed to dozens at the very most. It is important to note that Vapor King liquid is independently tested and contains ZERO TSNA’s or diethylene glycol.

The FDA also used this plural wording trick regarding “toxic chemicals” in electronic cigarettes. The only chemical found in the cartridges was the states diethylene glycol. This chemical was found at a 1% concentration in one of the eighteen tested cartridges. An average adult would have to actually drink the liquid from thousands of the e-cigarette cartridges for this dosage to be fatal.

When smokers opt for real cigarettes instead of electronic cigarettes or e-liquid, they are exposed to high levels of carcinogens, poisonous gases, tar, and an unbelievably high number of toxic chemicals. The dangers found by the FDA in electronic cigarettes are not even traceable in the vapor form, by which the product is used. The vapor does contain nicotine, but even the strongest electronic cigarettes only have a third the nicotine of the average cigarette. Of course electronic cigarettes are new, and the long term effects cannot concretely be proven yet, but the risks they propose are miniscule compared to risks associated with real cigarettes.

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This study, which was presented at the April 2012 British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference, used 85 regular smokers as the test subjects. The smokers were each given an e-cigarette; some of the cigarettes contained nicotine, some were placebo cigarettes without any nicotine. The smokers were then asked to smoke the e-cigarettes as much as they would like for five minutes. A control group of smokers simply held the electric cigarettes without smoking them.

The smokers were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their moods and cravings. They completed the same questionnaire twenty minutes after the five minutes e-cigarette trial. Sixty of the smokers, men and women, were asked to complete a task that would test their working memory, approximately ten to fifteen minutes after smoking the e-cigarettes.

The results of this study are quite fascinating. In terms of moods and cravings, men responded quite positively to the e-cigarettes containing nicotine. Women responded positively to the e-cigarettes regardless of if they contained nicotine. Both men and women, who used the e-cigarette containing nicotine, faired better on the working memory test than those who did not receive any nicotine.

During the conference presentation, Dr. Lynne Dawkins explained the effect that loss of nicotine can have on the brain, particularly the short-term memory function. In summation, when smokers stop smoking, the sudden drop in nicotine levels causes a dip in working memory performance in the brain. It takes a significant amount of time for the brain to adjust and begin working normally once again.

As Dr. Dawkins’ study shows, the use of e-cigarettes with nicotine can allow the smoker to maintain their working memory as they quit their smoking habit. The e-cigarette supplies the brain with just enough nicotine to satisfy cravings and keep the short-term memory unaffected during the transitional period from smoker to non-smoker. This study illuminates yet another example of how e-cigarettes can vastly improve the smoking cessation process.

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In a recent Air Force Instruction, the organization stated that tobacco use is the leading cause of death, when more specifically it is cigarette smoking that is the leading cause of death. The AFI states “tobacco use damages personal health and detracts from unit mission readiness.” This statement is quite true, but why include electronic cigarettes under the umbrella of “tobacco products”?

Electronic cigarettes do not contain any tobacco whatsoever. The e-cigarettes only contain water, a vaporizer, and varying levels of nicotine depending on which e-cigarette product is used. The FDA released information that greatly exaggerated the risks associated with electronic cigarettes, keeping them out of the hands of millions of smokers who could greatly benefit from them. The report suggested that the e-cigarette contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals, when in reality only a select few that were tested contained very small trace amounts of chemicals that were not present in the vapor form, which is how the product is intended to be consumed.

Because the electronic cigarette is so very new to the market, and because it is not technically a tobacco or medicinal product, the government and other organizations do not understand how to approach it legally. It is impossible to know the exact long-term effects of the e-cigarette, but only because the product is so new. What is certain is that the e-cigarette provides a much safer alternative to tobacco products, which kill over half of their customers.

Just as we do not want military personnel who are deterring their health by smoking tobacco products, we also do not want military personnel who are going through difficult nicotine withdrawal symptoms, such as mood swings and impaired working memory. Electronic cigarettes provide smokers with a tool that can help them stay smoke free, and lower their nicotine intake, without experiencing distracting cravings, or withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully, the US Air Force will see the error in their ways and allow their men and women to use this product that could vastly improve their health and well-being.

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The UK government has shown concerns regarding the “safety” of electronic cigarettes. The problem is that there have not been tight regulations placed on electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are not technically a tobacco product, and they are not medical devices, so they are not subject to the same strict regulations required by those industries. That does not mean that they have not been the subjects of testing and quality control procedures.

A representative of Vapor King, the leading e-cigarette distributer for USA, estimated that their electronic cigarettes have replaced approximately 24 million tobacco cigarettes just last year. She stated that their electronic cigarettes have been through quality standard evaluations, and that they welcome regulations simply so they would be able to reach more customers.

While it is true that electronic cigarettes that the long term affects of electronic cigarettes have not been thoroughly tested, those results are impossible to gauge now because the products are so new. What we do know is that the technology of the electronic cigarette is quite simple, the typical e-cigarette contains water, nicotine, and a vaporizer. Some brands of cartridges may contain trace amounts of propylene glycol and flavor additives.

The truth about electronic cigarettes is that, at most, the vapor of e-cigarettes will contain approximately 20 ingredients, none of which have been proven to be of great risk to the consumer. Compare that to the many known risks associated with tobacco cigarettes. The UK government is working to shut down a product simply because it does not have to go through miles of red tape to prove that it is safe, while tobacco cigarettes are on the market that are openly known to include hundreds of toxic chemicals. It is certainly unfortunate how misrepresented electronic cigarettes are when they could help millions of smokers around the world quit their life threatening habits.

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Unfortunately, due to some misleading claims and partial truths that have been released regarding electronic cigarettes, many people have been deluded to believe the e-cigarettes also produce harmful second hand smoke. In reality, the vapor that is released by an electronic cigarette contains water and trace amounts of nicotine. Depending upon the electronic cigarette, the amount of nicotine in the vapors is, at most, one-third of the amount of nicotine found in cigarette smoke. The e-cigarette vapor that is exhaled, or “second hand vapor”, lacks all of the hundreds of harmful chemicals and toxins found in cigarette smoke.

What the FDA actually found in the electronic cigarettes were very small trace amounts of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and diethylene glycol. For a comparison, one e-cigarette cartridge contains approximately 4 nanograms of TSNAs, while a pack of cigarettes contains over 100,000 nanorgrams of TSNAs, not to tar, and hundreds of other toxic chemicals. The only thing the FDA found in the vapors where varying amounts of nicotine, which does not pose a threat to bystanders.

Many people, such as ex-smokers and council member Ryan Vaughn spoke against including electronic cigarettes in the ban because they provide a safe way for smokers to kick the habit. Many ex-smokers have stated that they would not have been able to give up their smoking habit if it were not for the aid of electronic cigarettes.

While it is admirable that the city of Indianapolis cares so deeply about the health of its people, they should reconsider banning a product that will help smokers stop smoking in public, as well as everywhere else. While electronic cigarettes are fairly new, there has been no evidence that they propose any significant risks by way of second hand vapors. The users of the e-cigarettes take any possible risks, which at this point are extremely miniscule. The dangers associated with smoking electronic cigarettes are practically nonexistent in comparison to smoking real cigarettes.

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Many celebrities like to use their influence and power to set examples that will help others, therefore it is no surprise that they would promote the use of electronic cigarettes. Tobacco cigarettes are responsible for the deaths of millions each year, so it is imperative that smokers find safe alternatives, like the e-cigarette.

Celebrities such as Katherine Heigl, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio have done their part to spread the word by using electronic cigarettes while on film sets, while appearing on talk shows, and by actually using them on the stage or in their films. Katherine Heigl

appeared on the David Letterman show to explain how the electronic cigarette helped her quit smoking regular tobacco cigarettes when she was struggling. Johnny Depp’s character in the film The Tourist uses an electronic cigarette to calm cravings while on a long train ride. All of these celebrities have been seen using the e-cigarettes in their public and private lives to help them kick their tobacco habits.

There are many celebrities who have made the switch to electronic cigarettes to help improve their image while improving their health. Notorious partiers such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Charlie Sheen have all been spotted using their electronic cigarettes in public. All of these actors have been notorious cigarette smokers in the past, but have made the decision to rid themselves of the disgusting habit. Britney Spears is a mother of two young children now, and understands the dangers of second hand smoke. Fortunately, her e-cigarette is completely safe to use around the youngsters.

The electronic cigarette has the potential to save millions of lives by providing a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Whether celebrities switch because they are worried about their own health, or because they want to set a good example, their decision is very wise. Electronic cigarettes are not just a trend; they are a very important lifestyle choice. If you are a smoker, you should take a hint from these celebs and make the switch to an electronic cigarette.

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While the bill was supported strongly by many physicians, one of the most compelling arguments came from Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman. Chapman lost her husband, who was a smoker, to a respiratory illness. She wants to take the steps necessary to protect others from contracting the same illnesses, some against their will due to second hand smoke. She made the argument that second hand smoke has been ignored much too long and likened it to feeding large amounts of sugar to a diabetic against his or her will.

The ban goes further than just prohibiting cigarette smoking in businesses, the businesses must also post information regarding the smoking ban, and the government is going to do its part to encourage surrounding areas to adopt similar policies. Smokers who continue to smoke in a public place will be fined 50 dollars for each infraction. Businesses that are found in violation of the ban will be fined 100 dollars for the first offense, 200 for the second, and 500 for every additional offense throughout the term of one year.

Business owners, particularly bar and restaurant owners, pleaded with the council for unregulated outdoor smoking outside their entrances or on patios. This resulted in an amendment that stated that smokers had be at least seven feet from the establishment’s entrance to smoke instead of ten feet away.

While the council did not give these businesses many exemptions, there were a few amendments placed on the ban. Businesses such as cigar bars or hookah lounges, which do over 80% of their business through tobacco consumption, are exempt from the ban. Electronic cigarettes are also exempt from the smoking ban. Citizens made the argument to the council that electronic cigarettes also known as e-cigarettes or vapor cigarettes are helpful to smokers that are trying to kick the habit, and their vapors are not harmful. These smoking cessation tools will still be permitted in public areas.

It is very likely that more cities across the country will begin adopting similar smoking bans, as many have already passed. Smoking bans, such as the Birmingham smoking ban, are commended by the Champions of Health including the American Heart Association.

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