Cowboy Suppliers :
A Danger from Within for the Electronic Cigarette Industry??
Dodgy E-Cigarette Suppliers Are Damaging the Electronic Cigarette Industry's Reputation
It's perhaps inevitable that in a new and unregulated industry there will be a rush of cowboy suppliers.
Yet both the arguments put forward by bodies like the Electronic Cigarette Association as well as by individual suppliers such as ourselves risk being damaged by misleading or illegal claims and unethical sales practices.
A further problems is that many electronic cigarettes are sold via multi-level marketing and via affiliates. While the larger and more reputable companies are increasingly cautious over the claims they make, affiliates often make illegal claims about the electronic cigarette.
One leading tobacco harm reduction expert, Paul Bergen, recently expressed alarm to us over these claims, stating:
"In the last little while I have noticed a number of ecigarette suppliers (maybe fly by night, and so far just small companies) using much of the same kind of misinformation we have been fighting from the anti-smoking groups; the same kind of mentality that is now arguing against vaping."
Misleading Claims
One example of the claims being made can be found in the Electronic Cigarette Tavern where, apparently, the number of carcinogens found in cigarettes has suddenly exploded from 40 to millions. As an aside, the writer adds that second hand smoke is more dangerous than smoking itself.
In less extreme examples, many sites claim that the e-cigarette can help smokers quit. While there may be anecdotal evidence that this is the case, as suppliers we can not make such a claim until there has been research to back this up. What we can do it highlight research that has been done which shows that the electronic cigarette can help alleviate nicotine cravings and raise the level of nicotine in the blood.
'Take the E Cigarette Challenge! If you stop smoking in three weeks or less by using ECigarettes and give us your testimonial, we'll refund $50 off your purchase price."
Source: ECigaretteUsa
Immoral Sales Tactics
Meanwhile E Cigarette USA asks customers to take the quit smoking challenge - offering customers $50 if they can quit smoking in three weeks. Leaving aside the fact that the true test of quitting smoking is giving up for more than a year, this is highly immoral - in effect, the company is buying testimonials from their customers.
Fuel for Opponents
Paul Bergen believes these tactics could be counter productive.
"The big danger is that these people might think they are driving sales toward their product but in the long run they are maintaining and feeding the very mindset that is working to ban e-cigarettes."
Proof of this came when the testimonial-buying example we highlighted above was used by an anti-smoking website to attack electronic cigarette suppliers - you can see the example here: Ash E-Cig Petition.
A Need for Moderation
The arguments for the electronic cigarette are so strong, and so obvious, that neither exaggeration nor dodgy sales tactis are needed. As with the anti-smoking cause, lies and exaggerations will only weaken the case for the electronic cigarette.
As a result, we e-cigarette suppliers should moderate both claims and language, and base what we say upon research that has already been carried out on electronic cigarette (which so far has been positive) as well as upon the informed opinion of tobacco harm reduction experts.
There may also be room for an expanded role for the Electronic Cigarette Association, which could provide a list of a approved suppliers, and perhaps even a badge of approval for members.