Uncategorized

The new ad campaign we talk about in yesterday’s post has received an outstanding amount of backlash from vapers everywhere. Since it’s creation by the Twitter account @sftobaccofree there have been over 640 tweets posted with the #curbit hashtag. Not a single tweet by anyone other than @sftobaccofree has anything positive to say about the ad campaign, and indeed the vast majority express anger or disappointment with the lies being propagated. I’m currently actively watching tag, and new post are coming in literally every couple of minutes. Hopefully, @sftobaccofree gets the message.

There are so many things wrong about these ads that it’s hard to know where to start. Because of the dozens of lies that are being so blatantly told, like those we covered yesterday, this campaign had serious potential to do some real damage to public health in San Francisco. Thankfully, no one seems to be taking it seriously except for those who would frown upon vaping anyway. Even a modicum of research reveals the truth. It seems quite possible, if not extremely likely, that this campaign will be shut down in the very near future. Due to the false nature of their claims, SF Tobacco Free and the SF Department of Health may very well be sued for libel by vape stores in San Francisco. It is not alright to spread misinformation, especially about technology with the potential to help people. If they were actually trying to help the public, there would be no issue here, and none of this wonderful and righteous outrage.

If you use Twitter, go look at the posts under the #curbit hashtag and make some yourself. A recent article posted in Forbes is also worth a look, as it fairly well sums up the public opinion of this topic, although they are not talking specifically about San Francisco. This is such an important issue, and one which we all need to inform ourselves on and take action about.

Happy vaping!

Dr. Carl V. Phillips, not to be confused with the poet Carl Phillips, analyzed smoking and vaping statistics and published an inspiring paper on New Year’s Eve. Dr. Phillips is the Scientific Director of the Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association (CASAA) and one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of tobacco harm reduction. His paper, although not extremely rigorous, results in an estimate of 16,000 Americans living into 2015 who would otherwise have died from smoking caused diseases. Given the inherent inaccuracy in any such short term estimation, he has stated that the true number is likely between 10,000 and 20,000 lives saved.

No matter what happens now with vaping, over 10,000 people in the United States alone have had their lives extended due to e-cigarettes. Smoking is one of the most dangerous things we know of, causing approximately 20% of all deaths in the US. That’s almost a half a million people each year. According to the CDC, half of all smokers will die premature deaths caused by smoking. The public health effects of smoking cannot be understated. If vaping continues to grow, quite literally millions of lives could be saved. While information on the health effects of vaping is still being produced, what we already know shows it to be minute compared to the risk posed by cigarettes.

If the FDA had succeeded in banning e-cigarettes in 2009, none of the people who managed to avert a smoking-caused premature death with the help of vaping would be alive today. This estimate really shows the effect vaping has had on our world already, and the potential benefits it could have for our future. Hopefully, vaping will continue to save lives and lead us into a smoke-free future. As always, spread the knowledge to the smokers in your life of the benefits of quitting smoking.

Happy vaping!

Starting tomorrow, on the first day of the new year, Ontario will be making quite a few changes to their smoking laws. Ontario, as with many other places, clump vapor products into the larger classification of tobacco products, and as such vapers will be affected the same as smokers. The new laws will ban smoking and vaping in practically all public places, and all locations 20 meters or less from playgrounds or “sporting areas” whether or not they are private property. The playground bit is understandable, but the wording of this law will make some individuals unable to smoke or vape anywhere on their property. Smoking inside is already illegal, and offenders face a hefty fine.

The part of this law that is most aggravating to vapers is the complete ban on fruit or candy flavored eLiquid. Superficially, the ban is intended to prevent sales to minors, and includes any fruit or candy flavored tobacco products as well, but the actual effect is yet to be seen. As we all know well, many adults prefer sweeter or lighter flavors, especially after vaping for a moderate period of time. While there are quite a few good savory flavors, the majority of the popular ones are some variant on a tobacco base. By restricting individuals choice in this matter, it seems quite likely that Ontario will either not notice as many beneficial anti-smoking effects from vaping as will other, less restricted, areas, or some form of black market for fruit and candy eLiquid will develop, however odd that may seem. Hopefully, that is not the case, given the negative reputation vaping would gather as a result, but the possibility seems surprisingly significant.

If you live in Ontario, be careful about where you vape! The fine for first time offenses of these new regulations is between $250 and $500 (215 to 430 USD), which would definitely put a damper in your new year!

Happy vaping!

Every study that’s been done to determine the health effects of vaping has used highly unrealistic methodologies. Factors such as shorter puff lengths at higher wattages have been ignored, providing an incredibly inaccurate view of vaping safety. A crowdfunded study is currently in the works, led by Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, that will give a much more thorough analysis of e-cigarettes and vapor, specifically focusing on the temperature of evaporation. The most significant health risk of personal vaporizers comes from thermal decomposition of certain ingredients, and this study will, among many other things, measure the temperatures that occur inside of the wick at varying settings.

This is the first scientific analysis that is attempting to determine the safest possible way to vape! All of the information labelling vaping as dangerous ignores the fast that, for those of us former smokers, quitting may not be an option. Vaping is also an incredibly fun, flavorful, and interesting pastime, and that’s obviously not going to change! Making vaping safer is a far better route than claiming it’s absolutely harmless under all circumstances, or the far worse route of claiming it’s worse than smoking tobacco. If we really want to silence the critics, there has to be solid, reliable evidence of the safety of vaping under certain circumstances. Obviously, if you’re running at 250W 100% PG with only diacetyl flavoring, there are significant health issues, and shying away from that claim makes safe vaping look dangerous as well.

This study will cover a wide range of realistic vaping methods, some of which have never been subjected to scientific inquiry, including sub-ohming and dry-hit dangers. By locating and accounting for the potential dangerous patterns in vaping, we can make this wonderful technology even safer and more reliable! We already know it’s infinitely better than smoking, so now it’s just a matter of fine-tuning and verifying!

Happy vaping!