Vape News

 
 
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Moving beyond nicotine?
http://www.prlog.org/10763429-fda-may-ban-marijuana-cigarettes-which-provide-vapor-rush-on-planes-and-in-workplace.html

Looks like companies are trying to capitalize on the potential to vaporize other substances besides nicotine in their e-cigs. Theoretically, you can vape just about any drug; it just has to be in the right form.

From the article:

Ads for the new product seemingly invite users not only to violate laws against smoking generally in public places, but also laws against the use of marijuana itself, suggesting that you can now smoke weed in public without attracting attention: "the latest buzz in the pot world: Vapor Rush . . . Vapor Rush is a new way to smoke bud that allows you to smoke anywhere without a lighter, smell, shake, smoke and unwanted attention."  Users are invited to get high from "three different varieties [of marijuana]: haze, bliss and rush . . .taken from potent sativa and indica strains of cannabis." http://www.vaporrush.com/

Hmmm, it seems that this could be a potential setback for e-cigarettes. If people begin seeing them as a hippy-stoner drug delivery device, then it could incite protest towards e-cigarettes. However, there is huge potential for those who enjoy smoking marijuana.And to make things even more complicated (or more stupid), these companies are trying to sell devices that are designed for smoking weed. I'm calling bullshit on this one. I would think that vaping bud out of a prodigy v3 or a mod would be the best way to go. Furthermore, the website claims that the user can buy cartridges at their local dispensary. Based on my research, I have yet to find a dispensary that sells these cartriges. The best that one can do is make their own marijuana e-liquid. For example, form doing a google search, I found that users have successfully vaped marijuana out of an e-cig for quite some time:

http://forum.grasscity.com/apprentice-tokers/327483-hash-oil-e-cigarette.html

One user from the grasscity forums posted this:

hash oil tends to clog my atomizer. But if you dont mind cleaning it your self and taking the risk (ie have a spare on hand) give it a try it gets you high.

The better solution i have found is to dissolve the oil in a glycerine tincture similar to the diy e-liquids. I put 1 tsp glycerine to 1/2 gram of oil to maintain potency. I use a coffe warmer to heat it to speed the mixture. This still clogs the atomizer eventually but no more then standard e-liquids in my opinion.

In conclusion, people have been experimenting with the potential to combine hash oil with a substance like Propylene glycol. 

With marijuana legalization up on the ballots in California next election, it might be yet another idea that e-cig companies can capitalize on. But it is not yet clear whether or not this is a good or bad thing for the world of vapes and the public's acceptance of e-cigs.
 
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It has already happened in New York in which e-cigarettes have been banned. I recently stumbled across a news article:
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http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/06/28/prsd0628.htm
"Chicago -- Testing and safety information on electronic cigarettes is limited, the American Medical Association said, and the devices should be restricted.The AMA House of Delegates adopted policy at the organization's Annual Meeting in June recommending that e-cigarettes be classified as drug delivery devices that are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, state legislatures should prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes and all other nicotine devices that are not FDA-approved, and the products should be covered by smoke-free laws, the policy says.

"I want them subject to [FDA] regulations so people know exactly what they're inhaling," said Atlanta internist Sandra Fryhofer, MD, a member of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health.

The FDA said it detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, during examination of a small sample of cartridges from two leading e-cigarette brands. In several other samples, the agency identified carcinogens in the cartridges, including nitrosamines, which can be found in tobacco smoke."

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Courts have ruled that the FDA is not allowed to regulate e-cigarettes. Now, politicians are clamoring to get them to regulate it again. Sure, some of us may think that this a good thing. But not if they stop shipments from China, or even outright ban them. 

Also, New York law states no longer allows for the sale of e-cigarettes until the FDA tests them. This disregards mountains of scientific evidence and toxicology analysis that proves that they are safer than analogs. 

To give them a little credit, it's true that no long-term study has been done concerning their health effects. But whats so bad about 2 or 3 carcinogens that they may potentially find in e-cigs as opposed to the thousands found in analogs? Why not target tobacco rather than a safer alternative? 

 


Here's an excerpt from a "news" article I found about electronic cigarettes:

MIAMI, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the concept was first developed almost seven years ago, Green Smoke has capitalized on advances in technology to develop its patented design and catapult the electronic cigarette into the global market, as consumer awareness and demand increases.

The
electronic cigarette is a personal, battery-operated vaporizer that mimics traditional cigarettes offering smokers interested in switching an array of benefits.

When the product was first introduced, it generally had heavy batteries that did not hold a charge well. The shape and design resembled that of a pen with a slick plastic surface. The quality and consistency of the smoke volume and nicotine delivery system also varied. Moreover, every time users wanted to refill their e cigarettes they had to juggle several small components, including the atomizer (the part of the device that produces the vapor), a liquid nicotine solution, the battery, and other mouth piece components.


source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/green-smokes-2-part-e-cigarette-designed-to-meet-consumer-demand-97171829.html


Although it should be obvious to the educated customer, a lot of e-cig companies are putting out fake news through companies like PR Newswire. This is certainly not anything new. A ton of companies have done fake news ad campaigns. Ads like "natural sexual enhancement" have shown up in magazines for years that feign authenticity.

However, the problem is that in the e-cigarette world, we get a dispraportionate amount of fake news and it's hard to break through all the clutter. Most of the news is what we already know. E-cigs are a safer alternative to cigarettes, they don't smell, you save money... you know the story. But companies like BluCig, puresmoke (not to be confused with puresmoker) and gamucci purport that their product is somehow patented and innovative.

People in the know (mainly people who browse e-cigarette-forum.com) realize that all this is just marketing and branding. In reality, there are about three standard atomizers that are all produced in china. Companies repackage and rebrand the chinese-made products into something chic, stylish, fashionable, and avant-garde when in reality, they are overpricing their products and providing shitty customer service.

I've heard many bad stories about e-cig websites (i'll come up with a comprehensive list soon) in which customers get stuck on some sort of subscription-model service in which they are shipped overpriced catridges. Also, many people's first introduction to e-cigs is at malls, in which some uneducated salesman tries to wheedle people into buying their $100 crappy e-cigs that break in about a week.

So I'm urging all vapers to get educated and be wary of fake news. This post is a rant, and I am not yet informing the reader of which brands to buy/avoid (save that for a post to come shortly). Get educated, read the forums, and tell your friends.