Ashtray Blog: An Electronic Cigarette Blog

The American Stop Smoking Society has chosen today to release their anti-ecigarette movie. Hmm – sure it has nothing to do with the release of their sponsor’s new stop smoking drug!

If you do not wish to watch the whole video, here is a extract from the press release issued by Simon Chin, the Director of the American Stop Smoking Society (ASSS).

We at the American Stop Smoking Society strongly believe that the Electronic Cigarette should be banned.

The existance of a safer alternative with all the tar and carcinogens removed is possibly one of the worst things that could have happened to the anti-smoking anti-nicotine brigade.

Frankly, it is hard enough to quit smoking a drug which is as addictive as heroin. Dr Joel NItzkin, Chair of the Tobacco Control Task Force for the American Association of Public Health Physicians, points out that even with the help of the nicotine cessation products we recommend only 5% of smokers manage to quit for more than a year.

Now, with the imminent threat of death removed (the same doctor estimates, based on the available evidence, that alternative smoking products such as smokeless tobacco and the electronic cigarette carry less than one percent of the risk of smoking) what motivation will smokers have to give up?

It is essential that we as health campaigners manage to ban the electronic cigarette. Our success in banning the safest form of smokeless tobacco in Europe against all logic and research demonstrates that this can be achieved. Only then can we resume the quit or die campaign that at least persuades smokers to try and give up.

Simon Chin
Contact: 001 805 01042009

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The American Stop Smoking Society or ASSS has announced a campaign against the electronic cigarette – see the news item I have scanned in below.

I am still trying to find out more information about the campaign, and should be able to post a movie about it tomorrow. (Update – you can view the e-cig ban movie.) Story below:

The American Stop Smoking Society (ASSS) has demanded that retailers stop selling the E-Cigarette, claiming that the existence of a safer smoking device discourages smokers from giving up.

“If it were not for the quit or die choice we offer smokers, few would try the expensive nicotine cessation products we believe are essential for smokers.

“And with just 5% of smokers giving up for more than a year with those products, we need scare tactics to get people to even try.”

The ASSS representative denied that their campaign had anything to do with tomorrow’s launch of Nicocraap, a new stop smoking product which the society are endorsing.

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Our story on Associated Content revealing the connection between Big Pharm and the anti electronic-cigarette movement has been Dugg by an e-cigarette forum user. Digg the story too and keep the ball rolling!

Our recent Associated Content article exposing the links between big pharma and the anti-smoking campaigners leading the charge against the electronic cigarette, namely Senator Lutenburg and Public Health Organisations such as the American Cancer Society, lead to comments that revealed a conflict of interest.

As we said in the article, we don’t know that the pharmecutical companies are funding this campaign against the electronic cigarettes, and we quoted tobacco harm reduction campaigner David Sweanor as stating that the campaign was due to an irrational dislike of nicotine rather than a deliberate attempt by the pharmacy companies to have the electronic cigarette banned.

However one comment left behind by Bill Godhall, co-author of Tobacco Harm Reduction: An Alternative Cessation Strategy for Inveterate Smokers, pointed to a further conflict of interest.

The American Cancer Society’s secretive decade old multimillion dollar exclusive nicotine product endorsement contract with GlaxoSmithKline (i.e ACS name and logo appear on every Nicoderm, Nicorette and Commit package and ad) almost certainly prohibits the ACS from saying anything positive about any competitive smokefree nicotine or tobacco product.

Ironically, Bill was one of the first to call for funding of these organisations – never thinking that from a campaign to stop youth from becoming addicted it would become a quit or die campaign that would promote Nicotine Replacement Therapy at the cost of a tobacco harm reduction strategy that could save the lives of those who can’t or won’t give up.

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The battle over the electronic cigarette has moved beyond our humble blogs and forums and to the seat of America’s government.

A few days ago we reported how a big pharma supported senator had written to the FDA asking for the electronic cigarette to be banned.

Now, however, another Senator who is a fan of the electronic cigarette – even going so far as to send the device to both President Obama and the Speaker of the House, has stepped up in its defence, stating:

“Before the FDA takes any immediate action, it should put forward scientific evidence that these products are harmful or unsafe,” Senator Stearns said in a statement.

“These e-cigarettes are smokeless and do not produce carcinogens. The nicotine in e-cigarettes is controlled in a capsule that can help in smoking cessation by allowing the user to reduce gradually the nicotine level, hopefully to zero.”

See The Hill for the full story.

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As the campaign against the e-cigarette hots up a petition is being held to keep e-cigarettes going. To sign the petition go to Keep Life Saving Electronic Cigarettes Available. And spread the word!

A post I ran across today on E-Cig news was entitled Senator whose campaign was financed by Big Pharma to the tune of $128,250 seeks to halt sale of e-cigarettes.

The article linked to a press release by Lautenburg, and obviously there was no mention of funding there. Instead it sung his praises and included his letter to the FDA arguing that the electronic cigarettes should be banned.

A little bit of research soon found the funding, though, which was listed on open secrets.

Pharmaceuticals were not his biggest funder, but certainly did fund his campaign to the tune of $128,250 – see the list of the Senator’s funding here.

Big pharmaceuticals are perhaps those with the most to lose from electronic cigarettes, with sales of smoking cessation aids likely to plunge should the electronic cigarette ever really take off.

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