Via Doug Bates, resident anti-tobacco zealot at The Oregonian, comes word that Oregon Attorney General John Kroger has bullied two convenience store chains into agreements not to sell electronic cigarettes:
The Oregon Department of Justice today filed two settlements that prevent two national travel store chains from selling “electronic cigarettes” in Oregon. The action is the first of its kind in the country and prevents Oregonians from buying potentially dangerous products that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve.
“When products threaten the health and safety of Oregonians, we will take action,” said Mary Williams, Deputy Attorney General. “If companies want to sell electronic cigarettes to consumers, they have to be able to prove they are safe.” [...]
The settlement announced today prohibits the sale of electronic cigarettes in Oregon until they are approved by FDA, or until a court rules the FDA does not have the authority to regulate electronic cigarettes. Even if courts decide that the FDA does not have regulation authority, the settlement stipulates that electronic cigarettes may not be sold in Oregon unless there is competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the product’s safety claims. In addition, the companies must give the Attorney General advance notice that they intend to sell electronic cigarettes in Oregon, provide copies of all electronic cigarette advertising, and provide copies of the scientific studies they maintain substantiates their claims.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Kroger’s office isn’t going to take an unbiased look at any evidence the chains might bring forward. And while it’s of course worthwhile to study e-cigarettes further, this ban and the panic spread by the FDA and anti-smoking groups is based upon virtually no evidence that they are dangerous. Michael Siegel has been doing his usual bang-up job putting the science in perspective:
As these data show, the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines present in electronic cigarettes is at the trace level. It is measurable in parts per trillion (nanograms per gram). It is comparable to the nitrosamine levels in nicotine replacement products which are approved by the FDA.
In contrast, the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines present in tobacco products are 300 to 1400 times higher. On a weight-for-weight basis, Marlboro has 1400 times higher the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines than an electronic cigarette cartridge. And keep in mind that these represent the levels in the cartridges and cigarettes, not in the tobacco smoke or e-cigarette vapor which are directly inhaled. Because of the much higher temperatures generated in tobacco combustion compared to propylene glycol vaporization, the delivery of these carcinogens into the vapor is expected to be much lower than into the tobacco smoke.
Moreover, there are approximately 56 other carcinogens that have been identified to be present at high levels in tobacco smoke, while there are no other carcinogens that have been identified to be present in electronic cigarettes.
Siegel acknowledges that some minor steps should be taken, such as forbidding sale of e-cigarettes to children and ensuring that the diethylene glycol issue is fixed. Both of these goals are easily accomplished without banning the product entirely.
Slight alterations to e-cigarettes may make them safer. The important thing to keep in mind though is that they are already much, much safer than real cigarettes, and if e-cigs are removed from the market many of the people who buy them will go back to smoking actual tobacco. Banning what so far appears to be an effective smoking cessation device is no victory for public health.
From what I can tell, the main reason people oppose e-cigarettes is because the devices look like real cigarettes and mimic the act of smoking. Yet it’s those very qualities that may make them an effective way to quit. Nicotine habits are hard to break not only due to chemical dependence, but also because of the rituals involved. E-cigs mimic those rituals in a way that gums and patches, which also contain trace amounts of nitrosamines, cannot.
Perhaps in a perfect world there would be nothing resembling a cigarette. In the real world there are about 45 million smokers in the US, many of whom would like to quit. It’s perverse to take away one of the tools they could use to do so just because it looks like the far more dangerous product it’s meant to replace.
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Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, barista, mixologist, and magician in Portland, OR. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Reason Online, The Oregonian, and other publications.
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The primary danger they present is to to bottom line of the cessation manufacturing company that spent millions to get these bans in the first place, thereby undermining the entire purpose of smoking bans. They MUST be banned to eliminate any competition. Also, unlike Chantix, they have no mind altering drugs and can be safely used by airline pilots, railroad engineers, truck drivers, and others in jobs where public safety is an issue.
http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?ia=143&id=14912
The Oregon Department of Justice had been investigating NJOY electronic cigarettes. The deal with the chains, Pilot Travel Centers and TA Operating, prohibits selling the cigarettes until they are approved by the F.D.A. or until a court rules on whether the agency has the authority to regulate them.
It is pure ignorance on the District Attorney’s part. - accompanied by the hidden agendas inside the pocketbooks of other industries. The TRUTH is that e-cigs should be applauded by smokers and non-smokers alike. E-cigs are MUCH safer than regular tobacco cigarettes, produce no secondhand smoke, and are far more economical. E-cigs (which really are not cigarettes at all, but actually a vapor device) are one of the greatest products to come along in decades! I was an on & off smoker for many years. I did not smoke a single cigarette again from the very moment I received my first e-cig as a gift. It was very satisfying, no cravings for tobacco, and no more disgusting cigarette smoke odor. This alone is a huge improvement over smoking. I used my e-cig to successfully and very effortlessly with zero challenge to finally quit smoking for good. It was so easy. I simply lowered the nicotine level in my e-cig cartridges from high to medium to low to zero in a very short timeframe. Today I am cigarette free and it was the easiest thing in the world to do, all because of the e-cig.
So, I was a smoker for 11 years(1-1 1/2 packs per day). I have tried quiting multiple times, the gum sucks, patches dont work, Army only keep you from smoking in basic . I decided to try an Ecig and I havent smoke since! So now they are going to ban these? Well, TRY to ban these?? I spend less money a month on these, and I can actually breath now. But hey, I guess since Cigarettes arent banned, they must be better for me as opposed to Ecigs? The vapor produce by Ecigs must be worse for people in my car while im smoking it? Well I guess they can ban all they want, until they have nicotine sniffing dogs sniffing every package. I will still be smoking my Ecig.
The nitrosamines found in the Ecigs, are found in the Tobacco flavored ecigs. Why is it found in these ones??? BECAUSE ITS MADE FROM REAL TOBACCO!! Why wouldnt it have it!!?!?? The Eliquid I use is made by FDA APPROVED products. So if everything they use is FDA approved…putting them together and be smoking it shouldnt be a problem!
I guess if the cigarette companies are legally allowed to sell things that are PROVEN to kill people…what keeps them from paying off the people who just banned this in Oregon AND the FDA!
Love the blog and the passion. I know that currently e-cig vendors aren’t supposed to advertise e-cigs as a smoking cessation device, however they did the trick for me. I don’t understand why a product that is less harmful than smoking would be fought against. Please check out my blog at http://ecignewstoday.blogspot.com/