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On your first point we are in complete agreement. No group of people is more joyfully and defiantly independent of the tobacco industry than us “vapers”. “Big Tobacco” has not had a cent out of me for the last 18 months. And neither has “Big Pharma”, which is even better news. As I stated in my first email, apart from nicotine, an e-cigarette contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and food flavouring, substances generally regarded as safe. Exactly the same ingredients are to be found in Nicorette QuickMist Spray, except that the latter also contains anhydrous ethanol, trometamol, poloxamer 407, sodium hydrogen carbonate, levomenthol, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and hydrochloric acid. I should add that the dose of nicotine in this nasty product is so low as to be sub-therapeutic. It's a setup for failure.
Secondly, it must be clearly understood, the tobacco industry has only moved into the arena of small cigalikes. They have shown no interest in the larger personal vaporisers and nor are they likely to. It is not possible for tobacco companies to monopolise the sale of batteries, metal tubes, atomisers, wire and wick, nor propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nor food flavouring. The real business of enjoyable and safer nicotine consumption is Big Tobacco (and Big Pharma)-proof. And it is predominantly these products which are enabling smokers to make the permanent switch. Big Tobacco has in fact already had its “Kodak moment”. They are simply trying to chase after a horse that has long bolted. Consider this irony: tobacco companies, in a desperate bid for survival have found themselves selling small pre-filled cigalikes, a product that is strongly establishing itself as a gateway out of cigarettes, a product they monopolise, and a gateway into the realm of 2nd generation ecigs and personal vaporisers, products which they do not have a hope of monopolising. With or without the comprehension of the health establishment, Big Tobacco's days are numbered. Isn't this a good thing? Imagine successfully banning e-cigarettes. BT would live to fight another day.
And thirdly your point about smoking becoming re-normalised by the acceptance of e-cigarettes. This is understandably based on the fact that “vaping” small cigalikes looks like smoking from a distance. I could argue that drinking water looks like drinking vodka, but do I really need to? The reality is that though it may look like smoking, it is not smoking, and does not even closely smell like smoking. In fact it is usually quite pleasant. The fact that it resembles smoking so well is precisely why it works. And because the use of ecigs returns a healthy sense of taste and smell to the user, they very effectively make smoking unappealing. Smoking, directly or passively, is generally not well tolerated by vapers at all. And the overwhelming majority of vapers are ex-smokers. There is no evidence to suggest that non-smokers are taking up vaping to any significant degree. Even school children found to be experimenting with ecigs are predominantly the same kids who are experimenting with cigarettes. A recent study by the American Association of Cancer Research also concluded that ecigs are “not a gateway to anything”. (E-cigarettes:) Vaping doesn't normalise smoking. It normalises vaping. And vaping, thus far, has not been shown to be harmful, to either the user or to bystanders.
And to add to my enjoyment - I watched THIS.
I FEEL UPLIFTED! I hope you do too.
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