Ashtray Blog: An Electronic Cigarette Blog

Paul has written written about leaked journalist guidelines for reporting stories on tobacco on the tobacco harm reduction blog.

If you read the blogpost you will soon realise that it is not entirely serious.

I thought it was a good send-up of tobacco writing , although I might have made it more over the top. I did think it was serious for a few minutes, and then had a laugh when I realised it wasn’t.

It may be a cultural thing, but I think humour is better when it doesn’t have big lines saying “THIS IS FUNNY” all over it. I like the sudden realisation that something is a giant piss-take. Some of the commenters didn’t, however, and were quite angry at being taken in.

I’ve taken some abuse myself, particularly over our Dangerous and Disgusting video, which I thought was blatantly obvious satire but brought in comments such as this:

Your bashing a product that works just so you can try and promote your pathetic little nicocrap pills…like i said go **** a garbage disposal you twitchy little virgin, ill smoke whatever i **** well please

Abuse or not, I think parody has worked. My piss-taking video has received 120,000 views whereas videos of our interviews with scientists have just had a few hundred. And parodys such as Smokle’s  Health Canada takes on the anti-tobacco industry have rated more comments and interest than serious articles. Besides which, there is just no point in taking life too seriously. So, I say carry on the good work, Paul, and if people get pissed off enough to write arsy comments about you remember Oscar Wilde’s wise advice:

The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

Yesterday we blogged about the winding up of The Electronic Cigarette Company (TECC).

However, existing TECC customers need not worry about UK supply -  ECigarette Direct is ready to step in, offering  the latest technology 2 in 1 cartridges with integrated atomisers, compatible with the Super White electronic cigarette.

We offer some of the best wholesale to retail margins in the UK together with an unbeatable one year warranty from the leading USA brand NJOY.

ECigaretteDirect are in the electronic cigarette business for the long haul. We are committed to working with the MHRA and Trading Standards to find a long term solution for the e-cigarette in the UK, and have supplied samples of our e-cigarettes to both the MHRA and to research projects in New Zealand.

For more information about wholesaling the electronic cigarette or to obtain a wholesale price list please contact us on:

support@ecigarettedirect.co.uk

Or click here to see our full contact details.

According to an email I was sent last night, one of the biggest UK e-cigarette companies is shutting down.

Speculation about The Electronic Cigarette Company has been rife after 50% sales recently, and that speculation proved correct when owner Jason Cropper announced his company was going into liquidation.

The owner denied that the closure was due to the MHRA, blaming the departure of a director. With Jason owning other companies involved with e-cigarettes and with interests in America, there appear to  be other reasons for the closure, with some suggesting tax reasons. No doubt the forums will be abuzz with the latest gossip and lots more speculation as to why the company is shutting down!

White Super Replacement

Update: I have just spoken with our engineer, who tells me that NJOY cartridges and batteries are compatible with the White Super. Our atomizers are also compatible, but when used with a different e-cigarette do not enjoy our usual one year warranty. But with a built in atomiser in our new DUO cartridges, there’s no need to buy a separate atomiser!

Lab study spun to show alarming results, but study of 63,000 women suggests no risk

I noticed a rather alarming article the other day suggesting that nicotine can cause breast cancer.

We already know that in labatory conditions nicotine can accelerate the growth of cancer. (As we saw in our recent article on nicotine on the smokers’ angel, it can also accelerate the recovery of muscles after an accident and of the brain after brain damage.)

However, there is a big difference between accelerating the growth of cancerous cells in a labatory and actually causing cells to become cancerous. In addition, the data we have on snus suggests that when nicotine is obtained without combustion the danger of developing cancer drops to almost nil. According to Dr Nitzkin:

the literature on snus, which is evaluated on our website, basically shows that in the best of the epidemiological studies available today snus do not increase any cause of death. In other words, if there is a health hazard from snus it is smaller than can be measured with these studies.

It is something that worried me, and I immediately contacted TheTobaccoHarmReduction website to get a scientist’s take on it.

I don’t think I was the only one worried, because Professor Carl Phillips has published an analysis on the harm reduction blog entitled Hyping of a Non-Result about Nicotine, writing:

It is also possible that nicotine promotes actual cancer growth in people, but it is clear from decades of research on smoke-free nicotine users that if it does, it is sufficiently rare that it is impossible to detect.  Indeed, the link between smoking and breast cancer is among the weakest for any cancer among older adults.

In essence, the study did not find anything new, and the dramatic headlines are the results of editors spinning the results of the study to creat maximum impact.

Those still worried should be reassured by the results of an additional study (mentioned in the comments section of Carl Phillip’s blog post).

The study, according to Reuters article Smoking not tied to risk of early breast tumour, followed 63,000 post menepausal women.

The conclusion?

That smokers and ex-smokers were no more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than non-smokers.

(If you wish to switch to e-cigarettes and are still worried about nicotine, remember you can always switch to the zero nicotine electronic cigarette!)

My friend’s Grandad is 102 years old.

Until he was 100 years old he used to smoke a pipe and enjoy copious amounts of whisky. He also had a very sweet tooth, and consumed large amounts of sugar.

Now, gently fading away in an old people’s home, he is denied the right to smoke or drink.

At 102 he doesn’t really need to worry about his health. In fact, for the last ten years (after the death of his younger brother) he has expressed a wish to die. Only the pills force fed into his system keep him alive. It’s fair to say that drinking and smoking would be one of the few pleasures he could still enjoy – if he was allowed to.

We’ve got a few e-cigars in stock which we used to sell – I am going to send him one of those. It might not be as good as a pipe but hopefully he will still get some pleasure out of it.

Beating the unmatched warranty

We are quite friendly with ECigaretteNational, an American electronic cigarette company. I like some of the work they have done in defence of the e-cigarette – they have provided us with information and we have linked to them in the past.

However, I can’t help noticing (or commenting upon) their claim today that their warranty is unmatched.

The company state:

Although pricey, the Opus is set to compete with the more elite e cigarette kits on the market with new technology coupled with a warranty that is unmatched in the industry.

The warranty that they claim is unmatched is 60 days long. That’s quite good for an electronic cigarette company – the norm is 30 days.

Ours, though, is much longer. All parts of our electronic cigarettes are under warranty for one year. Which is why people who want peace of mind choose our NJOY cigarettes.

Have you managed to quit smoking with the e-cigarette? If so, scientists in America want to hear from you.

The American Council on Smoking and Health are looking for smokers who have managed to quit using the electronic cigarette.

Dispatch: A question for our Dispatch readers

ACSH staffers would like to know if you or anyone you know has been able to use electronic cigarettes to kick your cigarette habit. Please send your responses to morning@acsh.org or tweet it to @JeffACSH.

Source: ACSH

Elizabeth Whelan, President of the ACSH (see our brief biography of her on our e-cigarette people page) has spoken out before in favour of the e-cigarette, and criticised the FDA’s stance in a Washington Post article.

The e-cigarette may not currently be marketed as an NRT aid, and there is no long term study that offers proof that it can help smokers quit. However, research has shown that it can increase the level of nicotine in the blood and help alleviate the symptons of nicotine cessation. Research due to start later this year in New Zealand will test its ability to help smokers quit in the long term.

Update: ACSH have already a large response according to their website: E-Cigs Bring ACSH E-Harmony.

Apologies to anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis – with two members of our team out on the road there hasn’t been much time for blogging recently! Which is a shame because, as always, there are interesting things happening…

Second Obesity More Dangerous than Second Hand Smoke

Grandad has been blogging about second-hand obesity – apparently you mustn’t get fat or those around you might catch your obesity! I was fascinated by the article which sparked Grandad off. In Anti-Smoking Tactics can Squeeze Obesity MD Thomas Gottfreid stated:

“A study of 35,561 spouses of smokers followed for 38 years published in the British Medical Journal in 2003 showed that second-hand smoke is an irritant, but does not cause life-threatening disease. Actually, “secondhand eating” may be more dangerous.”

This is doubly interesting because the doctor is no friend of smokers – it is clear that he applauds the use of anti-smoking tactics and indeed wants them to be replicated with fatty foods.

Vapers Network Daily

I found Grandad’s blog post on Vaper’s Network daily, a page on the Paper LI site created by Kate from Vaper’s Network – an excellent way to update yourself with what is going on in the vaping world.

Vape Fest

A vape fest is to be held in October of this year in Tamsworth. For details see the Vapefest site.

Smoking Everywhere

In the US Smoking Everywhere have been taken to court – not for selling the e-cigarette, but for not delivering it! The company has allegedly failed to deliver cigarettes, failed to refund payments and made unauthorized charges to credit cards.

I’ve been writing an article for another website on the best way to quit smoking (the Allen Carr method wins) and started looking up statistics for Chantix/Champix.

A search quickly throws About.com’s page on Chantix, which seems impressive. According to Terry Martin’s article on the subject users achieved a 22% abstinence rate. Terry didn’t mention the dangers of Chantix, which seems irresponsible (a 22% success rate would probably outweigh the dangers of the drugs, but people should at least have the all the information necessary to make an informed decision.)

Being aware of the fraud surrounding nicotine cessation aids (short term success acclaimed, long term failure ignored) I was a little bit suspicious. Was the cessation rate successful after 1 week, three months or one year? It is relatively easy to give up smoking for a short time, much harder to stay off cigarettes in the long term.In addition, a second reading revealed that only 2 out of 5 studies showed a 22% success rate. Surely one should show the figures as a whole?

As far as I can tell, the cessation rates were at one year. What some digging did reveal was that the trials were conducted by the manufacturer, that the candidates were handpicked, and that intensive counseling was provided to the people on the trial. According to WhyQuit, counselling alone can provide cessation rates of above 25%. There’s also a history of clinical trials proving to be more effective than actual usage. As Healthknot.com points out, trials conducted by manufacturers of nicotine gum produced success rates of 23-43%. However, when the same gum was sold over the counter, only a 7% cessation rate was achieved.

I’m also worried about the side-effects. Doctors promoting the product assure us there are inconsequential. However, with side effects including nausea, vomiting, depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide, I’d like to know exactly what percent of people using the drug experience side effects. I am also very worried by the comments in this (pro-chantix) article, where several people claimed that the depression and suicidal thoughts did not go away – even after usage of Chantix had stopped!

Related:

The Electronic Cigarette versus Chantix
Doctor Opposes Electronic Cigarette
Force Suicide Drugs on Mentally Ill Say Big Pharm Funded Scientists

The MHRA are supposed to be holding a consultation on what to do with the electronic cigarette.

Yet according to a leaked trading standards letter the decision has already been made – before the end of the consultation!

The letter, which was sent to us by Kate of Vaper’s Network, states:

“The outcome will be that of a date (yet to be announced) there will be a 21 days period and then these products will be outright banned in the UK, unless the traders apply for certification as a medical device from the MHRA. This process could be costly and expensive so it is expected that many traders will cease trading.”

Industry consultant Katherine Devlin has been in contact with the MHRA who confirmed that the letter was genuine. However, they maintain that the writer was mistaken.

I must admit, I am completely and utterly shocked by this letter. Not only does the letter suggest that the consultation has been a sham, but also that the MHRA plans to deliberately force UK traders out of existence by making a licensing procedure both expensive and complicated. And this is the same MHRA which admitted in their consultation document that electronic cigarettes could save hundreds of lives a year!

The MHRA were recently strongly criticized by the UK Regulatory Policy Committee on a number of grounds, including that there was insufficient evidence that the e-cigarette posed any danger to public health – see UK Policy Committee Slams MHRA Over E-Cigarette Consultation.