Electronic Cigarettes in the News: August 27, 2014

Electronic Cigarettes in the News: August 27, 2014

There are only a few new stories, making the E-cigarette Headlines, in the last few days, but they could all have a major impact on the industry. So without further ado, here is all of the news worth knowing from the Electronic Cigarette world.

American Heart Association Releases Policy Statement on Electronic Cigarettes

For the first time, with its release of an Official Policy Statement, the AHA (American Heart Association) has taken an official stand, on the use of Electronic Cigarettes, and while it is not exactly, a glowing endorsement of the products, it fell well short of condemning the industry.

The statement did call for, stiffer regulations to be placed on both the sale and advertising, of electronic cigarettes and e-juice products. It did not, however, demand any regulations beyond those already being implemented by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Namely that, “Electronic cigarettes should be subject to the same laws that apply to tobacco products, and the federal government should ban the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes to young people”.

Reasoning Behind the AHA Policy

Nancy Brown, the CEO of the American Heart Association (AHA), stated that the root of their policy lay in the fact that,

"Recent studies raise concerns that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to traditional tobacco products for the nation's youth, and could renormalize smoking in our society," Brown stated. "These disturbing developments have helped convince the association that e-cigarettes need to be strongly regulated, thoroughly researched and closely monitored."

This theme was further supported by, Aruni Bhatnagar, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Louisville, and author of the policy statement, who said, in the news release.

"E-cigarettes have caused a major shift in the tobacco-control landscape. It's critical that we rigorously examine the long-term impact of this new technology on public health, cardiovascular disease and stroke, and pay careful attention to the effect of e-cigarettes on adolescents,"

Reasonable Caution

This would indicate that the AHA is most concerned about electronic cigarettes being a gateway to traditional tobacco products and that they are willing to wait for further research before passing judgment on its long term effects.

Considering the nature of the organization; this is considered a more than reasonable position, for them to take.

Japan Tobacco Inc. Satisfied with Current Position in E-Cig Market

On the financial side of the news, the world’s third largest tobacco company; Japan Tobacco Incorporated, is poised to complete its takeover of, the British firm, Zandera. For those unfamiliar with Zandera, it is the UK based manufacturer of the E-Lites, e-cigarette brand.

In a Reuters interview, Mitsuomi Koizumi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Japan Tobacco was quoted as saying, "With Ploom”, a recently acquired American Firm “and E-Lites, we have the know-how and technology to get things started,"

Koizumi also said that, “Legal considerations have kept Japan Tobacco from entering the cigarette market in the United States, and it has no plans to introduce traditional or electronic cigarette products there now.” He also stated that, they were happy with their present position in the electronic cigarette market and did not plan on introducing electronic cigarette products in Japan, or delving into any areas that were not based on their tobacco expertise.

This begs the question, what do they plan to do with the technology, that these two mergers make, available to them.

U.S. Senators Lie in Attempt to Bully FDA on E-Cigs

Thirteen United States Senators, led by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), have sent a letter to Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the U.S Food and Drug Administration, calling for a complete ban of all e-liquids containing flavouring.

Their justification for such a demand is that e-cigarettes are a gateway to traditional tobacco use and other drugs.

The letter reads: "What’s even more troubling is that these products serve as a gateway to traditional tobacco products. A recent JAMA Pediatrics studyfound that middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes were more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking." In support of this statement, they cite the Glantz and Dutra cross-sectional study of e-cigarette use and smoking among youth.

There is one major problem with their assertion. It is a blatant lie.

The authors, of the referenced study state, in their abstract: "This is a cross-sectional study, which only allows us to identify associations, not causal relationships."

They once again, later in their paper, stress this point by saying: "The cross-sectional nature of our study does not allow us to identify whether most youths are initiating smoking with conventional cigarettes and then moving on to (usually dual use of) e-cigarettes or vice versa...”

In fact, the data could just as easily be interpreted to mean, that youths that have started smoking have chosen to transition to, what they perceive to be, a safer alternative, electronic cigarettes.

While, it is impossible, to know, the interworking of the Senators offices. Their use of this study as a base for their letter shows that they have either been grossly misinformed, or worked very hard, trying to make the evidence fit their, preconceived conclusions.

While in no way an indicator of the senators possible motives, for writing such a letter, it must be noted, that all of the senators involved, represent states that are either home to large tobacco interest, or are heavily invested in Tobacco Bonds and dependent on Tobacco Tax Revenue. 

27th Aug 2014 Daniel Frater

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