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The tobacco industry is pivoting hard to ecigs (in the developed world at least, in more corrupt and less regulated countries they are still happily pushing it

The tobacco industry is pivoting hard to ecigs (in the developed world at least, in more corrupt and less regulated countries they are still happily pushing it on teenagers and lobbying to take down anti-tobacco laws and education drives). It's disgusting. In the US, you've got a massive spike in the number of 12th grade smokers, for the first time in decades. Because ecigs aren't regulated, it's a free for all. The same techniques that worked so well to them in the "golden era" of cigarettes, they're out in force again but for ecigs, amplified even more through the power of social media marketing. The playbook remains the same though: make it appealing, make it "cool" (kids love that), and target the crucial teenage demographic. Make them addicted for life.

dmix 7y ago
You mean “heating”? (“we dont call it Vaping” - every big Tobacco sales rep) If the tobacco companies have been spending hundreds of millions on R&D for over a decade on electronic cigarettes (not necessarily vaping), which is what some of them claim, then they seriously missed the boat. I can assure you as a long time customer they don’t have much control in the market, besides trying to buy one like Juul (Juuls are overpriced garbage by the way). There’s a thousand small businesses and shops, making very good money with tons of competition which is quickly improving the products and devices. The difference bigco R&D and launching. It’s also been a boon for Shenzen/China where all the devices are made, not just for e-cigarettes but also for marijuana pens. But the market is in its early stages I’m sure it will evolve. I’m pretty sure it’s not even close to finished in regards to optimizing the product, they get noticeably much better each year. The anti-social giant cloud thing is also fortunately being replaced by far smaller ones thanks to Nicotine Salts replacing usual e-liquids, which is 90% smaller clouds and dissipate immediately. Regardless of your ‘think of the kids’ plight that has nothing to do with me as an adult having responsible access to my products. I can do it with alcohol, cigarettes, firearms, and weed here in Canada. These attempts to ban entire categories of products for everyone, not just kids, are dumb. Which is exactly what they are doing.
- darkpuma 7y ago
  Where do you think the nicotine in any of these products comes from? The whole damn thing is the tobacco industry, not merely the parts of it wearing the legacy brands on their sleeves. The reputation of the tobacco industry is well earned. Vigilant regulation is necessary to keep it on a leash.
  - vanattab 7y ago
    >The nicotine in eliquid is the same as that used in pharmaceutical NRT. It is extracted from a member of the tobacco family but not the same plant as used for smoking tobacco as that has much less nicotine in the leaves than the rustica type of tobacco plant. https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-nicotine-used-in-electronic-cigarettes-come-from https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-nicotine-used-in-electr...
    - darkpuma 7y ago
      Same industry, same shameless marketing to kids.
      - throwawaycert 7y ago
        NRT is also used to treat people suffering (and I do mean suffering, it's a horrid burden) from ulcerative colitis. Maybe don't spend too much energy shitting on one of the only forms of relief available to them?
        darkpuma 7y ago
        Doing good in other respects doesn't nullify their crimes. I'm not saying the substance should be banned; I'm saying this industry needs vigilant regulation.
  - exolymph 7y ago
    If there's market demand for it, nicotine synthesis will probably get cheaper: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/vaping-industry-wants-go-post-tobacco-synthetic-nicotine/ https://www.wired.com/2016/06/vaping-industry-wants-go-post-... It's dubious that nicotine itself is bad for you: https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine
RandomTisk 7y ago
All the 'cool' kids on Twitch vape these days, it's pretty good marketing for the activity and my guess is that alone accounts for a few percentage points at least of new vapers.
- dzhiurgis 7y ago
  So weird. Twitch has been virtue signalling on so many superfluous things, but not vaping. Perhaps nobody noted yet?
loeg 7y ago
> Because ecigs aren't regulated, it's a free for all. They're still restricted in sale to >18 year olds, exactly the same as the definitely-worse cigarettes. The FDA approval process doesn't change who they can be sold to.

dmix 7y ago

You mean “heating”? (“we dont call it Vaping” - every big Tobacco sales rep) If the tobacco companies have been spending hundreds of millions on R&D for over a decade on electronic cigarettes (not necessarily vaping), which is what some of them claim, then they seriously missed the boat. I can assure you as a long time customer they don’t have much control in the market, besides trying to buy one like Juul (Juuls are overpriced garbage by the way). There’s a thousand small businesses and shops, making very good money with tons of competition which is quickly improving the products and devices. The difference bigco R&D and launching. It’s also been a boon for Shenzen/China where all the devices are made, not just for e-cigarettes but also for marijuana pens. But the market is in its early stages I’m sure it will evolve. I’m pretty sure it’s not even close to finished in regards to optimizing the product, they get noticeably much better each year. The anti-social giant cloud thing is also fortunately being replaced by far smaller ones thanks to Nicotine Salts replacing usual e-liquids, which is 90% smaller clouds and dissipate immediately. Regardless of your ‘think of the kids’ plight that has nothing to do with me as an adult having responsible access to my products. I can do it with alcohol, cigarettes, firearms, and weed here in Canada. These attempts to ban entire categories of products for everyone, not just kids, are dumb. Which is exactly what they are doing.

darkpuma 7y ago
Where do you think the nicotine in any of these products comes from? The whole damn thing is the tobacco industry, not merely the parts of it wearing the legacy brands on their sleeves. The reputation of the tobacco industry is well earned. Vigilant regulation is necessary to keep it on a leash.
- vanattab 7y ago
  >The nicotine in eliquid is the same as that used in pharmaceutical NRT. It is extracted from a member of the tobacco family but not the same plant as used for smoking tobacco as that has much less nicotine in the leaves than the rustica type of tobacco plant. https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-nicotine-used-in-electronic-cigarettes-come-from https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-nicotine-used-in-electr...
  - darkpuma 7y ago
    Same industry, same shameless marketing to kids.
    - throwawaycert 7y ago
      NRT is also used to treat people suffering (and I do mean suffering, it's a horrid burden) from ulcerative colitis. Maybe don't spend too much energy shitting on one of the only forms of relief available to them?
      - darkpuma 7y ago
        Doing good in other respects doesn't nullify their crimes. I'm not saying the substance should be banned; I'm saying this industry needs vigilant regulation.
- exolymph 7y ago
  If there's market demand for it, nicotine synthesis will probably get cheaper: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/vaping-industry-wants-go-post-tobacco-synthetic-nicotine/ https://www.wired.com/2016/06/vaping-industry-wants-go-post-... It's dubious that nicotine itself is bad for you: https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

RandomTisk 7y ago

All the 'cool' kids on Twitch vape these days, it's pretty good marketing for the activity and my guess is that alone accounts for a few percentage points at least of new vapers.

dzhiurgis 7y ago
So weird. Twitch has been virtue signalling on so many superfluous things, but not vaping. Perhaps nobody noted yet?

loeg 7y ago

> Because ecigs aren't regulated, it's a free for all. They're still restricted in sale to >18 year olds, exactly the same as the definitely-worse cigarettes. The FDA approval process doesn't change who they can be sold to.