Thank you for your well thought response. You are right. There is always the possibility that the ecig could be sold to children. There are people who will do anything to make a quick buck. There are unscrupulous manufacturers who will cut corners and use components of lesser quality to create cheaper overhead and then, cheaper products. It is also correct that the long term affects of smoking the vapor haven’t been studied as the product has only been available for about 5 or 6 years. Inhalation studies on PG have been done though, as PG has been used in vapors since the early 30’s. The eliquid is really no different than the liquid used in fog machines, except it contains a higher grade of PG than your typical fog. What is also interesting is that on the market right now, is a vapor toy that is sold to children and uses the exact same formulation as the non-nicotine liquid.

However, these are all concerns that lead us to believe an organization like the ECA (Electronic Cigarette Association) is necessary. It is necessary that all suppliers and manufacturers uphold some sense of responsibility for not only the smokers who smoke an ecig, but also to not encourage new smokers to become smokers. It is important that there be manufacturing regulations to eliminate any issues to consumer health on the manufacturing end, so that true studies can be done.

The intent of the ECA is to remove the burden of necessary policy from the FDA and work in conjunction with the already over worked agency. The FDA already has manufacturing standards process in which the ECA will use and even add to if necessary to ensure a safer industry.

But what this post really comes down to with the misconceptions is the need for a group of people to push propaganda that is not backed by any real truth. It has always been interesting to us, and understandable, that as suppliers, we cannot make any health, safety, better for you, claims whatsoever. However, groups against the electronic cigarette can state any information they so choose without any kind of data to back up such claims. Days of this type of brainwashing needs to be over.

As ex-tobacco users, as parents of the next generation, we do not agree with selling to children, encouraging children, or promoting to children that the nicotine habit, whether it is in combustionable form, chewable form, suckable form, drinkable form or even vaporized form is good. But we also don’t believe in giving caffeine to children either. These are adult drugs and should be regarded as such.

Again, thank you for your well thought out response and please feel free to continue the discussion if you would like :0)

1. & 2. E-cig companies may not be marketing to children right now, but there’s no reason they CAN’T market to children at any point. Since there’s no tobacco, and since you can buy flavored models that don’t even have nicotine in them, there’s no legal reason why they can’t be sold to kids. And, as much as the companies claim to “care” about kids, they’re not pushing for legislation to ban selling e-cigs to kids either. They make it out like big tobacco companies are greedy corporations who are nothing but PR and lies, but anyone with a brain knows that e-cig companies out in it to make money, just like tobacco corps. Their top priority is profits, not what’s best for Americans, and will always be. Not selling to kids YET is a PR move, not a genuine concern for our children. I promise you that.

4. & 5. & 7. You know what’s in each e-cig? No, you don’t. You know what SHOULD be in each e-cig, but since they are being manufactured in China, and there are no FDA regulations/inspections, you have no idea what’s ACTUALLY in them. Remember the Heparin recall a couple years ago? Chinese companies were using cheaper substitute ingredients in the product, and lying about it, which ended up killing people. There’s no way to know if Chinese companies are doing the same thing with the chemicals in e-cigs because it’s not regulated or inspected.

Finally, although there are many harmful things in cigarettes that e-cigs don’t have, there’s is absolutely no way to know if inhaling the vapor of e-cigs has any health risks, some that regular cigs possibly DON’T have. There are absolutely ZERO studies about the long-term, chronic inhalation of this kind of vapor. True, it’s the same basic vapor chemicals used in inhalers (and fog machines!), but no one takes drags off inhalers hundreds of times a day over the course of years. It could be lethal, it could be safe. There’s no way to know, cause no one has done it before and there’s no studies.