The Marlboro Man Leaves the Building (part two) - The E-Cigarette Controversy and benefits of nicoti

This is part two of my personal account trying the newest product on the market for smokers – the electronic cigarette, which is an alternative form of delivering nicotine in a form most familiar to smokers of fired-tobacco products (standard or ‘analog’ cigarettes and cigars). Part One – my story on trying and switching – can be found HERE. This is a social issue, as the opposition to e-cigarettes comes from parties and groups that have traditionally represented themselves as “for the public health” but this opposition in many ways is damaging the promotion of a product that stands to improve the general health of the population by giving alternatives to millions of smokers in the U.S. and billions across the world.

On with the second half – the controversy!

The dangers of smoking cigarettes made with tobacco is well-known and has been publicized for decades, so much so that it’s hard to imagine any smoker that lights up and burns a tobacco stick without thoughts of finding another way to get that nicotine with the same joy that comes from that taste and feeling of tobacco. The nicotine gives a kick, calms the nerves, and makes it easier to deal with stress, makes it easier to concentrate on complicated tasks, and passes time while waiting for whatever reason. It is a drug, like caffeine, used by millions.

The dangers of pure nicotine are less understood by the public, because those public health promotions about smoking always couple the dangers to the delivery system (smoking, dipping, or chewing tobacco). Nicotine is proven to be highly addictive. But is it dangerous??? That proof does not exist.

Nicotine has been studied intensely, and is proven not to be a carcinogen or a toxin. Nicotine HAS been proven to improve alertness and concentration. It is proven to lower stress levels. It has even been studied as a possible treatment or even preventative in the development of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Nicotine HAS BENEFITS, which have been largely obscured in the public perception (except for the smokers that recognize the effects) by the larger focus on the harms of TOBACCO use to the general public.

I found a notable quote from a National Institutes of Health study “Meta-Analysis of the acute effects of nicotine and smoking on human performance” (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...) gives the conclusion:

“The significant effects of nicotine on motor abilities, attention, and memory likely represent true performance enhancement because they are not confounded by withdrawal relief. The beneficial cognitive effects of nicotine have implications for initiation of smoking and maintenance of tobacco dependence.”

There are multiple other studies, from UK, Sweden, U.S., and elsewhere that can be found by a simple search, the state the same thing – that smokers are addicted to the nicotine because of the benefits to their brain function, and NOT because they are too stupid to quit! They DENY IGNORANCE. They are sharper thinkers. They are calmer and can process complicated tasks much quicker. I have NEVER heard this until I started this search to see if I was making a worse choice by keeping the ‘addiction’ instead of dumping it completely.

The DELIVERY system is the danger. It is the tobacco that contains all the carcinogens, the toxins, the particulates, the pesticides, the dangerous gases; it is the tobacco that causes lung dysfunction, cancers, stomach disorders; and it is the burning of the tobacco that spreads this harm to others who do not wish to share those disorders; hence the powers granted to the anti-smoking lobby and the government to ban it’s use almost everywhere and tax it to oblivion.

Now, there are alternatives that are so successful in getting users of tobacco to move to a safe and improved alternative as a permanent solution, and not just a temporary step to removal of nicotine addiction. So successful, that some in the medical and public-health professions are beginning to recognize the benefits, and are encouraging smokers to try this as a permanent-use product. There are some doctors that have even started giving e-cigs to their patients – without counseling, without any discussion at all – and are finding that the success rate is well beyond any success with the aggressive attempts made in the past using cessation products.

It is now HIGH TIME for the users of nicotine to STAND UP and defend their freedoms and their rights to keep their nicotine! The users of snus (also a tobacco-free alternative to smoking) see the same benefits, but this new product has the ability to bring nicotine use out of the dark alleys and back into the public eye as not some affliction that needs to be quashed for people that are too stupid to know better, but an improvement desired by people that wish to think sharper with more detail.

Personally, I have a reputation for an excellent memory and an ability to sort complicated systems with precision and accuracy that my peers cannot match. I started this research to make sure I was not trading one harm for another; but I come out of this research with a conclusion I did not expect – that my nicotine use over the decades may have improved my skills immensely, and may have made a huge contribution to the memory and mental processing skills that keep me employed and in huge demand by my customers; and that if I have found a way to keep that while dumping all the hazards, then I will KEEP IT and fight for it, and even encourage others to do the same!

Don’t let the anti-smoking and anti-tobacco lobby destroy this new innovation! Its time to lose the shame of being a 'user', and for a change, be PROUD to be a 'smoker'. Ditch the tobacco if you so desire, but don't let the uneducated and ignorant 'do-gooders' and 'zealots' remove your right to legally partake in nicotine consumption if that is what you wish to do!!



A few links to the controversy (a search will produce dozens more like them):

New York Times "A Tool to Quit Smoking Has Some Unlikely Critics" www.nytimes.com... 1/11/08/science/e-cigarettes-help-smokers-quit-but-they-have-some-unlikely-critics.html?_r=0

St. Paul Star-Tribune "E-cigarettes Fire Up Controversy in St. Paul" www.startribune.com...

The International Journal of Health Geographics / Harm Reduction Journal "The scientific foundation for tobacco harm reduction" www.harmreductionjournal.com...

I have been smoking ecigs for about 2 months now. I really can't imagine going back to 'analogs'. I've tried some mainstream brands like blucigs, nu, v2 and green smoke.

I may have traded one addiction for another, but my goal was to get off of nasty tobacco and still do something i enjoy, which is smoking. The answer was ecigs. Cleaner and cheaper, no more ashes and smell in my car or on my clothes.

And I smoke at my desk at work, or sneak a puff in places where you aren't allowed to smoke. I still conceal it because I don't feel like explaining to sheeple who are anti-smoking because the television tells them to.

I can either smoke indoors, or escape a conversation or work and say "I better go outside to smoke this ecig"

reply to post by lakesidepark


I have been using E-cigs for about a month now.
I'm trying to get off of regular cigarettes, and not doing too well with it. The e-cigs are just not the same. They don't have that kick you get in the back of your throat.
The e-cigs have just become a means for me to smoke more, and I smoke a lot as it is. Now I can smoke in my office, on the train, in meetings.

I'm becoming Nicotine Man!

Originally posted by sicksonezer0
I may have traded one addiction for another, but my goal was to get off of nasty tobacco and still do something i enjoy, which is smoking. The answer was ecigs....

Why do you enjoy it? And why should you feel guilty for enjoying it? Brainwashed into thinking everything enjoyable has to be bad or evil??? TPTB have done a good job it seems.

What I am beginning to believe, is that the 'addiction' is NOT some 'biological reaction' but a mental reaction to the improvement in cognitive function caused by nicotine that is proven to exist. That appears to be the 'unspoken fact' of nicotine addiction.

There lies the conspiracy. A product that improves mental function, and can be promoted without the health problems associated with tobacco, may be a dangerous thing to TPTB. That is why I think an honest discussion of the true benefits of nicotine is long overdue, before the governments of the world recognize and ban this alternative to tobacco as a nicotine delivery system.

The more people that think clearer without guilt, then the more people that will recognize the BS handed us daily on almost all sorts of issues that affect the populations of the world. That's too dangerous for those in power controlling this rock.

reply to post by watchitburn


What brand did you use? I did well with Blucigs. The trick to ecigs being effective is having them accessible, and ready to use, just like cigarettes. That is why many kits come with 2 batteries and a charger, that way you have a backup battery if / when your battery you are using dies.

You should try different flavors, and strengths. I just found out the nicotine strength is what gives the vapor its kick, I got the strong nicotine, because I figure I dont smoke ecigs as often as I smoke a cigarette.

Think about it, with regular cigarettes you light one and are forced to smoke the whole damn thing because you don't want to short the cigarette, or throw it away and waste it. With an electronic cigarette, whenever you get a craving, whip it out, take a few puffs and put it away.

Works great bars you aren't allowed to smoke in.

I would just tell myself that I'm not quitting smoking, just quitting the thing that destroys your lungs and gives you cancer, I'm quit tobacco, but didn't have to give up smoking.

Originally posted by lakesidepark

Originally posted by sicksonezer0
I may have traded one addiction for another, but my goal was to get off of nasty tobacco and still do something i enjoy, which is smoking. The answer was ecigs....

Why do you enjoy it? And why should you feel guilty for enjoying it? Brainwashed into thinking everything enjoyable has to be bad or evil??? TPTB have done a good job it seems.

What I am beginning to believe, is that the 'addiction' is NOT some 'biological reaction' but a mental reaction to the improvement in cognitive function caused by nicotine that is proven to exist. That appears to be the 'unspoken fact' of nicotine addiction.

There lies the conspiracy. A product that improves mental function, and can be promoted without the health problems associated with tobacco, may be a dangerous thing to TPTB. That is why I think an honest discussion of the true benefits of nicotine is long overdue, before the governments of the world recognize and ban this alternative to tobacco as a nicotine delivery system.

The more people that think clearer without guilt, then the more people that will recognize the BS handed us daily on almost all sorts of issues that affect the populations of the world. That's too dangerous for those in power controlling this rock.

When did I say enjoyable = bad or evil?

That is why I think an honest discussion of the true benefits of nicotine is long overdue, before the governments of the world recognize and ban this alternative to tobacco as a nicotine delivery system.

thats what we are having.


Lobbyists / gov'mt nannies don't like ecigarettes because they can be made and shipped anywhere, and are harder / nearly impossible to tax and control. People will no longer be stuck with big brand companies that produce tobacco, with e cigarettes, you can get the batteries, and blank cartomizers and fill the cartridge up yourself, mix flavors, a kinds of stuff.

But yeah, I enjoy it, not because someone told me to, but because I do enjoy it.

reply to post by watchitburn


You then need to look into custom pipes that have a higher adjustable voltage and produce a longer burn, also look into e-juice products you can buy to refill them that have nicotine or non-nicotine. Something like this....

Atomizer

reply to post by sicksonezer0


Whoa dude. All you had to say was NO and NO. There is no need for the obscene acroynym. They WERE questions....not accusations! And they were presented in a reasonable manner, unlike your reply!

Have you had your e-cig yet? Little snippy I say.

I was frankly replying based on my perspective, offering your perspective in a CIVIL MANNER is all that is required and should have been obvious.

I appreciated your first response. The second...should be edited or removed by moderators as uncivil and over the line!

(I note you did remove the acroynym from the response.....thanks, but please realize I didn't attack, and meant my response to be a 'generalization' based on my perspective)

Originally posted by lakesidepark
reply to post by sicksonezer0

 

Whoa dude. All you had to say was NO and NO. There is no need for the obscene acroynym. They WERE questions....not accusations! And they were presented in a reasonable manner, unlike your reply!

Have you had your e-cig yet? Little snippy I say.

I was frankly replying based on my perspective, offering your perspective in a CIVIL MANNER is all that is required and should have been obvious.

I appreciated your first response. The second...should be edited or removed by moderators as uncivil ando over the line!

That's why I edited it out, =P

Sorry if i was rude.

Im a little snippy because of my analog wife, if they only had ewives, id be set.

Originally posted by sean
reply to post by watchitburn

 

You then need to look into custom pipes that have a higher adjustable voltage and produce a longer burn, also look into e-juice products you can buy to refill them that have nicotine or non-nicotine. Something like this....

Atomizer

edit on 28-4-2013 by sean because: (no reason given)

I did consider going with a variable voltage vaporizer, I think they are for more advanced vapers, people who really enjoy mixing their own juice and what not.

I like the ecigs that look like regular cigarettes, I did order some "marlbo" juice from a site and some blanks, so we shall see how that works out.

I think ecigs run about $ .50 - $ 2.00 per pack. The lower scale when you refill the cartridges yourself.

I checked out the link, do you use that one?

reply to post by sicksonezer0


Ewife???? Now THAT was a good response.

You are completely forgiven!

the ones saying e-cig are bad are the ones that make money on the regular cigs
im smoking my candy taste e-cig right now

Originally posted by sicksonezer0

Originally posted by sean
reply to post by watchitburn

 

You then need to look into custom pipes that have a higher adjustable voltage and produce a longer burn, also look into e-juice products you can buy to refill them that have nicotine or non-nicotine. Something like this....

Atomizer

edit on 28-4-2013 by sean because: (no reason given)

I did consider going with a variable voltage vaporizer, I think they are for more advanced vapers, people who really enjoy mixing their own juice and what not.

I like the ecigs that look like regular cigarettes, I did order some "marlbo" juice from a site and some blanks, so we shall see how that works out.

I think ecigs run about $ .50 - $ 2.00 per pack. The lower scale when you refill the cartridges yourself.

I checked out the link, do you use that one?

edit on 28-4-2013 by sicksonezer0 because: (no reason given)

Actually I don't smoke anymore, but I am a member of a family owned e-juice business. Yes those atomizer type pipes hit really hard. I have puffed on one at 6 volts and it was like taking a large drag off a real cigarette. This one here hits like a freight train....Ego V V good battery for them atomizers.

reply to post by sean


I think i would be more enticed to use a VV if it was made in USA. Some of the stuff out there sometimes makes me wonder what else could be in it, but so far I haven't had any problems.

I know Blu brand uses Johnson Creek which is in the US. It seems like chinese manufacturers see the opportunity, thats why yet another market is going to be flooded, if not already with made in china goods. Some of the stuff coming out of china lately seems decent though.

I would like to see more american made products, we need less bureaucracy and red tape to get our manufacturing back.

Johnson creek also has their own brand of ecigs, called VEA, I cant find out where its made on their website though.

reply to post by sicksonezer0


I agree, on this product especially, the FDA and anti-smoking lobby made it too difficult for manufacturers here to push into the market; and even made it questionable if they would be able to have a market here.

Its almost a given the electronics will be made in China unless there are major changes across the board for manufactured goods in the U.S. to be made profitably.

I am more concerned with the ingredients; I noticed blu is manufactured here, and v2 does batch testing and releases results to instill confidence in the product. The hazards of the basic ingredients are just about NIL; it's the possibility of trace contamination in unregulated production that could be a hazard.

And that possibility is what is being played on by the opponents of e-cigs (like THAT is more dangerous than just smoking tobacco!!!). The first time someone gets harmed by a contaminated e-cig, it will be trumpeted as an example of the hazards of all e-cigs and be used to demand their ban and tighter regulation. Let's hope this does not happen!

(I have no problem with FDA regulation of the pureness of the contents, and this is where the FDA should focus - but any further intrusion beyond keeping out of the hands of minors should be fought with vigor.)

Im a little snippy because of my analog wife, if they only had ewives, id be set.

edit on 28-4-2013 by sicksonezer0 because: (no reason given)

Yes, you would.

That was a very good write up OP. Can't find anything to disagree with or add to it.

Originally posted by sicksonezer0
reply to post by sean

 

I think i would be more enticed to use a VV if it was made in USA. Some of the stuff out there sometimes makes me wonder what else could be in it, but so far I haven't had any problems.

I know Blu brand uses Johnson Creek which is in the US. It seems like chinese manufacturers see the opportunity, thats why yet another market is going to be flooded, if not already with made in china goods. Some of the stuff coming out of china lately seems decent though.

I would like to see more american made products, we need less bureaucracy and red tape to get our manufacturing back.

Johnson creek also has their own brand of ecigs, called VEA, I cant find out where its made on their website though.

edit on 28-4-2013 by sicksonezer0 because: (no reason given)

Oh I absolutely agree you should support American made. However, as far as quality and parts etc. I know people whom use that very same battery and it's good and quite durable in it's metal housing. I was just posting some examples, there is just tons of this stuff out there, so you have to weed through and shop around. To tell you the truth some of the best atomizers are foreign made, which is sad on our part. There really isn't a whole lot of technology in this stuff.

I just started using an ecig and it really gave me the creeps at first because it taste just like smoking a terrible chemical drug i was on but after a couple days i am over that and have just about quit cigars completely.

reply to post by lakesidepark

Hi all, I have been vaping for about 4 months now and to be honest, I would never go back to analogues. I started out with 18mg and now enjoy 12mg as my regular vape. My next order will be 8mg because by experimenting and diluting I have discovered that this is sufficient.

There is a tendency to vape too much to start with but I discovered, like too much coffee, your body tells you to slow down a bit. I have tried in order of around 40 different flavors (sample packs) now and have settled for one flavor (Taro) which I much prefer to anything else, it's less scented and more of a grain or cooky flavor.

My general health is thru the roof compared to when I smoked cigarettes and up until the cold weather started here in the southern hemisphere I was cycling 20klms each morning.

I have encouraged a number of people including my Mum to vape v analogue and they are all total converts now.

I personally feel that those posters who don't quite feel it is a complete replacement for cigarettes would benefit for loosing the standard ciggy shape paradigm. I have tried ciggy shaped e-cigs without much success.

I think the issue is that the battery size is not adequate to provide a good vape. I use the ego-c and making the switch between tobacco and e-cigs was immediate, I just don't need tobacco anymore, period.

I have my own conspiracy theory regarding cheap e-cigs that have flooded the market. I think there is a clever plan by the big tobacco companies to introduce cheap and nasty e-cigs into the market so that smokers will try them and reject them quickly because they don't satisfy as much as a tobacco cigarette, so a smoker will try one for a while and then go back to analogues.

If a smoker is serious about quitting tobacco in favor of vaping I personally feel that a device like the ego-c or a vaporizer of a similar quality is the way to go. These e-cigs will blow your head off at 18 or 24mgs and I can attest that they can be more than a match for any strong cigarette. My personal experience is that vaping is not a compromise for a smoker, it is a dead set replacement and I would never go back under any circumstances to ordinary cigarettes again.

Governments will try to regulate the e-cig for all the obvious reasons but I urge anyone who smokes to give it a go using a good vaporizer rather than a ciggy look alike. The health and financial benefits are off the charts.

The U.S. government, and almost all of the state governments, have been raking in the taxes on all the surcharges they placed on tobacco - all based on the 'excuse' that it was to improve the public health.

However, the statistics show that after all the major health campaigns of the 90's, the reduction in tobacco use has levelled off. Most of the people that were concerned about health issues enough to quit tobacco completely have already quit long ago, and only the defiant remain.

Now, this new e-cig has the potential to spike that graph down so low that governments will be scrambling to find replacements for the tax revenues lost.

Either they will find ways to outright ban the e-cigs, or to extend the tobacco taxes to the product; or even to apply NEW surcharges and taxes to the product.

Until then, don't expect friendly reception from our representatives, they will tow the government line of 'unknown risks' and 'unregulated product' to scare people from making the switch.

It ain't working! I went back to the store that I bought the v2 for my wife today to get another pack of coffee flavor / low nic. About a third of the product that was there yesterday is GONE!!!! Wow! The same thing happened across the street to the blu display rack, on Friday it was restocked, on Saturday it was half-empty.

And the clerk had not yet made the switch, but she said she has to try them now, too many people coming in and turning away from the tobacco display rack has made her curious. I predict another convert there, and then she will tell all her other customers.

I hope they restock soon!