Today has been a whirlwind as far as press is concerned. First, we started off the morning, waiting for the feed from the E-Cigarette featured on the Early Show on CBS. Then it came. Our jaws dropped to the floor as we watched a doctor and two news anchors literally spew lies from the set. Needless to say, we do hope that the watching public takes some time to further educate themselves on the electronic cigarette as obviously, the CBS Early Show has no desire to do any research.

The acting by the hosts Julie Chen and Harry Smith were most definitely “Big Brother” worthy and it was very apparent that they are non-smokers who wish the habit did not exist. But even more amazing than this were the comments made by Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medicine, with NYU.

When asked if electronic cigarettes are safe, he responds with “we don’t know, but we don’t think so?” Ok. Why do you not think so? Data? Have you run your own tests? There have been three separate liquids tested and all of them were found to contain ingredients that are approved and safe world wide.

Yes, we agree that more testing can and should and will be done on both the vapor and the liquid itself. However, all results so far are positive. Isn’t it time that you as a doctor maybe use some of that e-cigs “magic” and do some testing of your own? We would definitely love to hear your professional diagnosis on this. Certainly not your personal opinion.

Furthering on his safe argument, he then goes on that the electronic cigarettes are “unregulated, certainly not FDA approved and Made in China”. Here is all we need to say about this: The Committee on Energy and Commerce just completed a hearing on the salmonella outbreak plaguing our food supply. What we also find interesting is that in 2007 and 2008, the FDA notes that 12 times Peanut Corp tested positive for salmonella, yet they shipped anyways.

And recently, Keith Ledger died from using Ambien. Granted, there is more to this story, so please follow the link, but it proves that not everything approved by the FDA is safe. Finally, the FDA has some issues internally where the scientists allege mismanagement at the Agency. According to a letter obtained by CNN from the FDA scientists, “The agency is “fundamentally broken” and “failing to fulfill its mission”. Is it possible the FDA has too much power and not enough control?

The salmonella outbreak also proves that American manufacturing and processes can be just as bad as Chinese processes. The persons responsible for the melamine in the milk fiasco plead guilty and brought to very harsh, yet swift justice. We will see what happens to the American business responsible for the contamination and those who obviously covered up the 12 instances of positive testing.

As far as his comments that some companies are marketing to adolescents: We are on the Internet 24 hours a day. We research the daylights out of our products, our competitors products, and see just about every article there is to see. We have come across websites that do offer these as a smoking cessation device (even though we take a different opinion), but we have never, ever run across anyone who has ever suggested even with color scheme, that the electronic cigarette is for adolescents. That is simply, a shameful, boldfaced lie.

So… enough about bad journalism. Here is some great journalism! It deserves its own post so we will provide you with a link so you can see what a good article is supposed to look like. This article was written by Audra Ang with the Associated Press, and is a very well researched bit of writing. Chinese e-cigs gain ground amid safety concerns.

Today, we found an article on www.ctv.ca by Andrea Janus regarding the electronic cigarette. We love to give props to good articles and even though we are mentioned in this particular article, it is not why this article is (solely) being given props. It is very well written and does offer a bit of information.

Janus spoke with Brock University’s Community Health Sciences Department and quoted Professor Kelli-an Lawrance. Dr. Lawrance is a Co-director of Leave the Pack Behind, a group at Brooks’ University that focuses on getting university students to quit smoking. They currently have almost 50 participating universities who use their program across Canada.

Janus quoted Lawrance as stating “I think that these particular devices are being marketed with the intention of keeping people smoking…They’re not smoking them to try to quit. And so I think that that’s a really big issue.” Please remember, she is an all or nothing kind of gal.

One thing that many smokers who have attempted to quit and failed can agree on is that the NRT’s do not take care of one huge problem that smokers face and that is the ritual involved in smoking. The hand to mouth sensation, the taking a moment to relax, almost a moment of re-centering. For some, having a cigarette is a moment for meditation.

Why should we have to give up something that helps us be focused and centered, if we can have it delivered to us in a far less harmful way than through tobacco? Why should we be forced to chew gum or puff on a nicotine inhaler which does in fact have some serious side effects? It is the failing to quit several times that lead many smokers to one realization: I love to smoke, so why shouldn’t I be able to?

Later, Lawrance does go on to be quoted as saying that “nicotine gum is better as a crutch… because you’re doing yourself far, far less harm, if any, and you’re doing no harm to the people around you”. This brings us to the next question: If the argument for public health lies in the second hand smoke and the electronic cigarette does not produce second hand smoke, isn’t this a step in the right direction? Isn’t it healthier for those around the smoker? (Yes, we are very aware that further tests need to be done on the vapor.)

For those who market these as a smoking cessation device, it’s odd because you continue “smoking” so how are you actually quitting? It would be better to label the e-cig as a “tobacco reduction device” because that’s really what it is. Here at INSTEAD, we still stand that the electronic cigarette is an alternative to tobacco and it should not be seen as smoking cessation device. Does it get you off of the tobacco? Absolutely. Are you still partaking in the action of smoking? Absolutely.

Another item that jumped out of the article for us was the use of the word “abstinence”, three times no less, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. What this should read is “abstinence from nicotine”. But wait? What if we don’t want to be forced into abstinence of nicotine? People enjoy their caffeine, their fast foods, the liquor… why not nicotine? There have been studies that show nicotine is good for a variety of mental issues and that nicotine and caffeine have very similar affects on the human body. To lump nicotine into the same category as cocaine, well we all see how well that works with marijuana.

We also wanted to address the concerns stated regarding the amount of nicotine that is dispersed via the electronic cigarette. There is absolutely no proof that the electronic cigarette offers more nicotine than a tobacco cigarette, in fact, Dr. Laugesen, researcher with Health New Zealand suggests in his report of the Ruyan cartridges that the user gets 1/3 the nicotine from the e-cig as they do from a tobacco cigarette. This was also touched on in our review of the NewScientist article on the Electronic Cigarette on February 12, 2009.

Now, we here at INSTEAD note from personal use that 7 puffs from the e-cig with a fully loaded cartridge at the right nicotine level, can produce for the smoker the same satisfaction as a tobacco cigarette. Is Dr. Laugesen, correct in the 1/3? After discussions with other suppliers and users, we are all in agreement that the amount per puff is definitely less than that of a tobacco cigarette. However, even though the experience is similar, it is still different than a tobacco cigarette and minus the “additives” from our tobacco cigarettes, the user is noticing differences on a variety of levels, not just from nicotine.

Another argument is “Who cares?” We know… we know. But seriously. For most smokers, getting over the addictions to the other thousands of additives in their tobacco cigarettes is a fight in its own right. Most smokers know exactly how much nicotine their body can handle and the human body was built with automatic detectors telling you when your own body has hit that threshold. It is up to you to be adult and listen to those warning signs.

Finally, the accounts from Health Canada. It is apparent that Health Canada is taking a serious look at the electronic cigarette as a step in the right direction. Health Canada is focusing on the electronic cigarette as tobacco harm reduction and so we must give Health Canada props for looking at this as not an “all or nothing” deal and we can only hope that the US uses the same philosophies in their review.

From Janus’ article: Health Canada spokesperson Philippe Laroche said the agency is in the process of evaluating e-cigarettes that are not intended to help smokers quit but are merely a smoking alternative “in order to mitigate the potential risks that these products may pose.”

Bravo Health Canada! The electronic cigarette is an alternative to smoking tobacco and while there is still a lot to do in the industry to provide further testing and quality standards, the electronic cigarette offers smokers something cleaner to themselves and to those around them. The lack of ashtrays, ashes, lighters, cigarette butts and second hand smoke is huge! We are so looking forward to what Health Canada has to say at the end of March!

For more information on Tobacco Harm Reduction, a great place for info is the University of Alberta School of Public Health project website on tobacco harm reduction. You may have read our recent post from January 7, 2009 where CBC features the Electronic Cigarette. This is the same group who were testing the e-cig in the pub! We will have a future post on them later this week!

For now: If you don’t have yours already, our mini electronic cigarette works great, produces a load of vapor and is a necessity for any smoker. Get one. Get comfortable with it. Keep smoking your tobacco if you must. Learn to use your electronic cigarette like a tobacco cigarette. Once you are ready, you will see that your tobacco to e-cig ratio goes in the right direction till eventually, you are smoking only e-cig and couldn’t be happier about your brand switch.

Please note Canadian customers: Due to insane demand, our supply is short right now. We are doing everything we can to get this situation remedied as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Visit Instead E-Cigarettes for CDN orders only please.

United States order here

We always enjoy good articles, that are well written and researched.  It was a wonderful surprise today to run across an article written by a non-smoker, Helen Thompson for NewScientist Magazine titled Electronic Cigarette:  A Safe Substitute?.

One of the biggest applause’s should go to Thompson for contacting Dr. Murray Laugesen of Health New Zealand, the leading researcher undertaking the questions and concerns that arrise from the use of the electronic cigarette.  He has done not only a clinical study on a brand of cartridges, but he has also conducted the only clinical trial of the electronic cigarette to date.  As far as we are concerned, any journalist who is not aware or does not attempt to contact Dr. Laugesen has not done their job thoroughly, as he is a certified scientist who has hands on knowledge of the electronic cigarette.

A few highlights from the article are even John Britton, a lung specialist from University of Nottingham, UK, and chair of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group, who is skeptical of the electronic cigarette, ends by stating that “If it turns out that they deliver to the bloodstream an amount of nicotine comparable to a cigarette, are acceptable to smokers and are safe, then the potential health benefits to smokers trying to quit are huge”.

Dr. Laugesen also noted in Thompsons article that “All pointers so far show the device is safe.  Whether it will be a successful smoking cessation device in the future depends on whether governments wrap it in cotton-wool regulations or allow smokers to buy it with a modicum of reasonable safety checks.”

So props to Ms. Thompson for putting the tobacco harm reduction philosophy down on paper and offering a real journalistic overview of the electronic cigarette.  To read her full report, please click on the link above.

The electronic cigarette is perfect for those who wish to continue smoking without the second hand smoke.  Is it safer?  Dr. Laugesen thinks so.  We believe that one thing is for certain, there is no second hand smoke so the effects on those around the smoker are definitely diminished.  More testing is still needed to be done on the actual vapor when it is released upon exhalation.  The vapor consists of minimal water and propylene glycol, same as that in fog machines used for theatrical performances.

But, as many are finding out, the safety is something you have to weigh for yourself.  By reading the many different posts we have offered, we hope you can come to your own conclusion.  Weigh what you know, feel and think about tobacco cigarettes and then weigh what is available for the electronic cigarette.  What is best for you?  What do you feel is your next step as a smoker?  Are you willing to change your brand to electronic knowing what you do know as fact against tobacco cigarettes and what is possiblity with the e-cig?

Other Electronic Cigarette News Posts

This comparison will be about size.  To give you an idea of the size of our mini e-cigarettes, here is a picture of our mini side by side with a regular length Parliament tobacco cigarette:

e-cigarette vs tobacco cigarette

As you can see, our mini is slightly larger than a regular tobacco cigarette (it is about the same length as a 100 tobacco cigarette).  The girth of the device is also slightly greater than a tobacco cig.

First, it is important to note that this is not the smallest electronic cigarette you can buy.  It is also not the largest.  We have tried many, many products and based on our testing, we have found 2 things to generally be true:

1) The larger the device, the longer the cartridges last, the longer the batteries last, and the more smoke (vapor) that you’ll get.

2) The electronic cigarettes that are as small or smaller than a regular cigarette are not of the quality, yet, to where we want to sell them.  I am not making any comments about any particular brand or model, just saying that the smaller ones we have tested get hot quickly (the atomizer) and don’t produce enough vapor.

The Instead Mini Electronic Cigarette is the smallest one we have found that produces a good amount of vapor and has quality components.  It is also quite comfortable to hold and does mimic a real tobacco cigarette quite well.

The Instead Regular Electronic Cigarette is about a half of an inch longer than our Mini, has the same girth, and has a tapered mouthpiece/cartridge.  We will get some pics of it up soon.

We wanted to address the report found on CBS News regarding the Electronic Cigarette as being an illegal product that cannot be sold.

As we noted in our recent post The Electronic Cigarette as a Homeopathic Drug, it is Instead’s belief that the device itself should not be held at customs because it is in fact a vaporizer and vaporizers appear to be legal.

The electronic cigarette has been sold in the United States for over two years now.  Up until this point, ATF has decided that they do not wish to regulate the e-liquid and the FDA has not wanted to get involved as well.  Now, all of the sudden they do?  It is interesting that millions are flocking to the e-cig and we can only come up with one reason as to why this nonfactual report would be aired:  The anti-smoking campaign is furious and the pharmaceutical companies have most likely noticed a drop in their profits when it comes to NRT’s.

Now, it does not help that some marketers are claiming this is a quit smoking product.  It is not a quit smoking product.  It is a smoking alternative.  It allows people to switch from a tobacco cigarette to something else.

Industry wide, Safe Cig has been warned to change their content on their website and to stop advertising them as a quit smoking method.  It sends the wrong message to the powers that be.  However, we would like to note that Jon from SafeCig has stated that Stephanie Stahl did not even show up for her interview with him and sent a stage hand to do her work.  There’s some good journalism integrity for you.

As far as the claims by the American Cancer Society and these not being tested, that is simply untrue and false statements should be ignored.  As we noted in our post Clinical Trials and Testing of the Electronic Cigarette, there have been tests done of a variety of different e-liquids and they have been found to be safe.  In fact, in one report, Dr. Laugessen even states that the electronic cigarette is a “safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes”.

Also, with the statement that the “problem is the vapor you see has not been proven safe”.  This statement is correct.  HOWEVER, the second hand smoke from a tobacco cigarette HAS been proven UNSAFE and therefore, if it can be sold legally, then there is absolutely no reason a smoker cannot make the determination for themselves that the vapor is better than tobacco smoke.

We find it extremely interesting that such a hoolala is being made over a product that is actually moving millions of people world wide from tobacco and pharmaceutical products.  The only thing we can come up with is that the “big boys” aren’t getting their dimes and they are less than happy.