Greetings to everyone, and welcome to another edition of Thoughts From Charlie. I know it has been quite a while since we last spoke, but things have been a bit…busy as we all prepared for 8/8. Now that we are on the other side, I think we will be able to have some more time to chat, on a more regular basis.
There is far too much still up in the air to try and make this any sort of all-encompassing diatribe on the regulations, and frankly, I have read far too many of these sorts of posts to want to inflict more of the same on you. What I would like to discuss for a start is a recent statement made by the FDA, in response to a current lawsuit brought by NicoPure against the FDA. This is a link to the full response [FDA response], but I will be quoting a portion of the first paragraph for us to examine.
‘Electronic cigarettes are the fastest growing segment of the tobacco market, and their use has spiked dramatically in recent years. They are now used by more than 13 percent of high school students, eclipsing conventional cigarettes as the most popular tobacco product among youth. Although they are often marketed as helping smokers quit, there is scant evidence to back such claims, and some evidence that they in fact inhibit cessation. At the same time, there is ample evidence that e-cigarettes present significant risks to the public health. To begin, they are principally designed to deliver nicotine—one of the most addictive substances known to man— and can do so as effectively as conventional cigarettes.’
The red emphasis is mine, because I didn’t want anyone to miss that. I find this amazing, interesting, and more than a little frightening. ‘What’s the big deal over one word in a paragraph full of negative things?’ I hear you ask. Well, they just said that we don’t exist. Yeah, you, me, your wife, or son, or grandfather, or co-worker, any of us that have used electronic cigarettes to quit smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. I had my last cigarette in November of 2012, the same day that I purchased a basic electronic cigarette kit from a convenience store. I didn’t expect it to work, but I also knew that I had promised my wife that I would quit smoking on my birthday that year. Believe me, you want to keep promises that you make to your wife, if you enjoy wedded matrimony and not sleeping on the couch. Digression aside, I had zero expectation that ‘vaping’ [as I soon learned it was called] would be a successful method to quit smoking, but I had tried many other times and ways to stop the habit, but always came up short. I figured, ‘Why not?’.
In the spirit of full disclosure, it was not love at first vape. This was 2012, and the technology was lacking. That convenience store device was not as satisfying as a regular cigarette, and it was actually pretty expensive. But what it did have was POTENTIAL. I remember thinking ‘…this isn’t quite it, but maybe there is something here after all.’, and that started the switch to vaping. That was the last conventional tobacco cigarette I have smoked since I picked up my first personal vaporizer. Closing in on four years now. I was a pack & a half to two pack a day smoker. I had tried to quit via cold turkey, gum, patch, prescription…no dice. And I know I am not alone! That’s what makes this particular paragraph bother me so much, the ease with which my experience, your experience, your mother’s, your boyfriend’s, your grandfather’s experience is cast away. Pushed to the side, as though we don’t exist, as though no one has successfully ended their dependence on traditional tobacco cigarettes through the use of personal vaporizers. Not just cut back, not switched to dual usage, not used for short periods of time before a return to another pack of smokes…but a permanent switch, a complete change to sole use of vapor products. I refuse to let my personal experience be ignored, to be disregarded with a single sentence, a single word, and I hope you feel the same.
Of course electronic cigarettes are the ‘fastest growing segment of the tobacco market’ [the whole tobacco thing…that’s going to have to be another post], because they WORK! The worst part about this is that the FDA, which was put into place to protect the public health, should be supporting this new technology, instead of trying to remove it from the marketplace. So how did we get to where we are now, what’s next, and what can we do to try and turn the tide? Stay tuned, as we continue to explore the regulations enacted by the FDA, and the ramifications it will have on us, the people, in future posts.
Please, if you have not already, join CASAA, SFATA, R2B, Not Blowing Smoke, and PARTICIPATE. Petitions are great, but we need more. We need you to tell your stories of how you quit smoking traditional cigarettes by the use of personal vaporizers, of how your family members quit, of how your friends and loved ones quit, and send them to your government. We need letters to your Senators and Congressmen, to your Governors, to your local legislators and town council members. We need phone calls, we need to tell our stories. Please remember, the time has come for us to stand together, united in this cause.
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Um i quit smoking by vaping.
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Just like y’all I was a 2 pack a day smoker for 22+ years & I started with the convenience store ecig. It wasn’t great but I’ve moved on to a great vape now & I have been smoke free for 4 years. I would think the government would be ecstatic about people quitting smoking death sticks & vaping instead. Because healthcare for people dying with lung, heart & other health issues related to cigarettes has no doubt lessened. The FDA is backwards in their assessment. I’ll never go back to smoking. I’m a vaper for life! I feel better & my body, lungs & blood pressure tell me I’m doing the right thing.
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Thanks for your product, your site, and your thoughts here, Charlie. (I’m with the Baby Blue at the moment, brought to me in Shanghai by a mate passing through from London.) On the advice of a friend, 5 months ago I bought a mod that he was using and reckoned was the bee’s knees. I had been a heavy smoker for 10 years before I started vaping…and like the other writers here, I haven’t had a cigarette since. My breathing is better and my BP is better – so too is my libido! I have since returned the first favor by turning on a few long-term smoker mates to the vape – and they too are delighted. Strange (to say the least) are the FDA pronouncements. Probably no connection, but Big Tobacco might be feeling the pinch before very long! Best wishes, Rob
I was smoking 3 to 4 pack’s of cigarettes with in the middle of the day. I have COPD plus. I had burned my lungs with bad chemicals and on oxygen. My oxygen level was 71 during the day. Well I haven’t had a smoke for over 3 years. I was told about vaping, Wow my life has changed, I smell better, I can breathe better, plus I have more energy. I’m glad that I vap, So is my doctor, she can’t believe how well my lungs have done. I was told I’m doing a good job, Plus I have lost a 100 pounds, cause I can move without stopping to Catch My Breath. I want to thank my boyfriend and vaping. My life has changed
Amen Brother. Just like you, I ordered a 510 kit in Sep. 2009. I went outside and tried it. My thought was "it isn’t a cig but it isn’t bad. After spending 50 bucks on the kit, I was going to give it a try. I never smoked another cig. My cardiologist says that I am doing great and problems I have had for years actually seem to be healing themselves. I workout daily (never was able to do that when I smoked). I loaned a kit to my brother. He was a dual user for about 3 months before he decided to throw away the cigs. He has been smoke free for over 6 years now. If both of us (who had smoked over 2 packs a day for over 45 years) could quit by using a vape with the antiquated equipment available then, I see no reason why most smokers today would have any problem quitting.
Just like to say, I have also quit smoking cigarettes since changing to a personal vaporizer and I’m bewildered by the stance the FDA has taken. I need to do more and I intend to. Thank you Charlie Noble for your continued support.
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September 27, 2020
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