Business interests blocking a tobacco ban—this was the theme behind the excellent Jason Reitman movie ‘Thank you for Smoking’ and also the recently held meeting of the GCC Tobacco Control Committee, apparently. Most notably, Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the undersecretary for health policy at the Ministry of Health, said the law to enforce a ban has been stalled because: “It is hard for things to run smoothly in this. There are a lot of interests, and there are big companies today and a lot of other things that come into effect.

When it came to implementation affected businesses did not all agree. Some said, ‘other countries don’t have this, so why do we have to?’”

Oh boo hoo! Will the GCC ever be tobacco free? Well there is a GCC-wide anti-smoking week, but as The National, very cheekily pointed out even those at the Tobacco Control Committee weren’t aware of it: “”When is this?” asked the Saudi official. “When it comes, I don’t even know.”

(Nope. This is just too easy the comedy practically writes itself with that quote. So we’re letting this one slide but feel free to give your own script.)

Interestingly, the meeting of the Tobacco Control Committee (don’t they sound like a fun lot?) has brought up the much debated conversation around introducing a tobacco tax into tax free UAE. Retailers say that even a 30 percent hike isn’t likely to deter avid smokers. After all, with tobacco prices at a global low (a branded pack of 20 cigarettes going for Dh6), a 30 percent increase would mean a packet would set back a smoker Dh8.

One of the top concerns is the issue of second hand smoke. In this regard, Dubai’s shopping malls, cinemas, offices and colleges have been rather successful in setting up smoking bans, forcing smokers to resort to smoking in tiny cancer-guaranteeing terminals—although, the ban is just catching up in other Emirates. Which is why, Kipp sees a fantastic business opportunity for anyone willing to bring the franchise to the region…the e-cigarette.

Once a bogus tacky invention, the e-cigarette is fast growing as a stylish alternative for those smokers tired of seeing the Blood Red No-Smoking Sign. So far, celebrities like Britney Spears, Jeremy Piven, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, and Catherine Zeta-Jones have been spotted smoking one of these smoke-less red LED e-cigarettes. In fact, even Charlie Sheen is planning on starting his own line of e-cigs, called, wait for it, “NicoSheen”.

As Business Week says “According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Americans who have smoked an e-cig more than quadrupled, from 0.6 percent of the population in 2009 to 2.7 percent in 2010. That’s more than 8 million people.”

With the problem of second hand smoke safely out of the way, e-cigs can be smoked ANYWHERE! Think about the possibilities-smoking in a movie cinema, smoking in a hospital, in a school, a petrol station, public transport and even around the terminally ill. OK- that last one might be pushing it too far, but you can see what we mean…so go ahead start the first UAE E-Cig brand (just remember to cut Kipp 10 percent).

Over the last year, electronic cigarettes have gained popularity across the nation and right here in the Panhandle. They hit the market a few years ago and as advertising increases and national celebrities support it, many are wondering if the purpose is to help those kick the habit, or if it’s just another fad. “Our smoking rates in the US have been stabilized around 20 percent,” Bharat Khandheria with the Texas Tech Health Science Center said. To help those kick the habit, a hybrid cigarette was created.

“The reason they are said to be better than regular cigarettes is because regular cigarettes contain thousands of harmful carcinogens which cause cancer,” he said.

Electronic cigarettes still contain nicotine, but lack the cancerous chemicals.

The device isn’t cheap either and will set you back $70-$100.

Not to mention, you eventually have to purchase refill cartridges.

“Your ultimate goal is to quit smoking,” he said.

Popular television shows like “The Doctors” say the electronic cigarette could be the key to preventing lung cancer.

But Khandheria is skeptical.

“It took us 30 to 40 years to say that smoking was bad,” he said. “To say electronic cigarettes are completely safe I don’t think I can say that right now.”

Others are skeptical too.

“The FDA has not approved them,” Sharri Miller, a tobacco treatment specialist said. “The FDA is a regulatory agency that helps keep us safe and when they won’t approve it then that brings up a red flag.”

And Khandheria wonders if the technology could do more damage than good.

“If it becomes a fad or fashion among teenagers, then it in fact would be doing more harm.”

Most airlines have banned electronic cigarettes along with a handful of restaurants saying it’s simply too early to tell the long term effects of these devices.

Smoker Friendly International said that it will now be offering the U.S.-made Smoker Friendly Premium Brand Electronic Cigarette line, made by Freedom Smokeless, to retailers and distributors nationwide. Since 2009, Smoker Friendly has been selling the brand’s e-cigarette starter kits, express kits, cartridge refills, disposables and accessories only within the Smoker Friendly chain. This is the first time that the Boulder, Colo.-based licensee of almost 1,000 locations has expanded its private-label product line outside of its licensee network.

Smoker Friendly is beginning its rollout of the e-cigarette product line, with retail price points as low as $6.99, to convenience stores, large retailers, grocery stores and select distributors.

“We thought the timing was right to expand our brand through other retail chains and distributors,” said Terry Gallagher Jr., president of Smoker Friendly. “We know there’s a pent-up demand for an established company to take a leadership position in this relatively new category; we’ve heard this from our distributor and retailer industry friends time and again. There are way too many startups and opportunistic marketing companies selling foreign made electronic cigarettes, and it has gotten very confusing for category buyers.”

He added, “Smoker Friendly is a well-established, 23-year-old tobacco company, with vast experience and expertise in the tobacco industry, so distributors and retailers know we’re here for the long haul, which is critically important when representing electronic cigarettes, a fast-growing new tobacco product category.”

Smoker Friendly selected Freedom Smokeless, a manufacturer of e-cigarettes and nicotine e-liquid, to manufacture its e-cigarette line in 2009..
“We liked the quality of their products, service and support, and were relieved to know the e-liquid is made here in America; that the e-liquid is batch tested in an FDA-registered lab and that cartridges are filled here thanks to some high tech automation. Our goal is to have the Smoker Friendly brand of electronic cigarettes become a household name,” said Mary Szarmach, Smoker Friendly’s vice president of sales and marketing.

Glenn Kassel, president of Freedom Smokeless, said, “We are honored to manufacture the Smoker Friendly brand and are thrilled that it will be available in retail establishments across the country. Retailers like the fact that they are getting a competitively priced product that’s Made in America with a highly trusted brand name behind it. Tobacco buyers for chains like all of the safeguards we have taken to ensure that our product is safe.”

He added, “We have already received orders from distributors and retailers who were waiting for an established brand to emerge as the leader in this category. ”

Smoker Friendly is America’s largest cigarette and tobacco store (CTS) retailer. The Smoker Friendly Authorized Dealer Program is designed for existing retail tobacco store operators who wish to market their own brand of competitively priced, private-label products within an exclusive territory that is geographically protected. This program is for the tobacco retailer who would like the advantages of a buying group; wants more interaction with other cigarette and tobacco store retailers including information and idea sharing; clout with manufacturers; and the greater synergies that a nationally known private-label brand like Smoker Friendly provides.

Currently there are almost 1,000 stores across the United States with The SF Private-Label Tobacco Family.

San Clemente, Calif.-based Freedom Smokeless’ Made in the USA line of e-cigarettes and cartridge products are sold in thousands of tobacco shops, retail outlets and c-stores across the United States.

During this legislative session, a child advocacy group typically associated with education is taking a strong stance on e-cigarettes. The Utah PTA is keeping the issue active, even as a bill that would ban the device in public places is now on hold. The Utah PTA works with lawmakers to make sure children come first, whether it’s their education or health. One of their big concerns this year is exposure to e-cigarettes.

Nearly 8 percent of Utah’s twelfth-graders reported they had experimented with e-cigarettes and 3 percent had used them in the past 30 days, according to a 2011 Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health survey of more than 55,000 Utah school children, conducted by the Utah Department of Health. For the first time, the agency this year paid to add questions concerning e-cigarettes, however, the data remains unpublished at this time.

“The PTA is about education but we’re also about children’s issues,” said Gainell Rogers, president of the Utah PTA.

The Utah PTA is keeping an eye on the fate of House Bill 245, which could amend the Indoor Clean Air Act to prohibit the use of hookah pipes and e-cigarettes in public places.

A healthy debate about the bill yesterday led nowhere, putting the legislation on hold. But the PTA has made the issue of e-cigarettes a top priority this year, along with education funding and internet dangers.

“Because we don’t know all the ramifications of e- cigarettes. We’ll be watching that. But we assume that there are probably some hidden consequences that we’re not aware of yet,” Rogers said.
Rogers says that’s enough to raise concern for the PTA.

“We are being proactive on that part and if we err, we want to err on the side of safety for children,” Rogers said.

E-cigarettes are also on the watch list for the American Cancer Society, but until there’s more research on their effects, the organization won’t take a stance on it.

“Our researchers are doing investigating and once they come up with what really is in an e-cigarette and what the effects will be on a person that the society will take a position,” said Sharlene Bozack, of the American Cancer Society.

For now, the American Cancer Society is spreading the word about disposable tobacco. This morning, they rallied at the capitol, to educate lawmakers about new trends, like dissolvable tobacco products, that could be making their way to Utah.

“They’re like snuff and they can be sticks. They can also look like Tic Tacs,” Bozack said.

KSL talked to Rep. Bradley Last, R – Hurricane, this afternoon. He sponsored House Bill 245 and said the committee could address the bill again, with some changes made to it, in the next week or two.

A battery-powered device as small as a No. 2 pencil is becoming a big enough deal that the Utah PTA is taking aim. The local organization of parents and teachers on Tuesday put electronic cigarettes at the top of its list, along with alcohol, drugs and other tobacco products, hoping to get state leaders to take notice of increasing trends among children and teens. Nearly 8 percent of Utah’s sixth-, eighth-, tenth- and twelfth-graders reported they had experimented with e-cigarettes and 3 percent had used them in the past 30 days, according to a 2011 Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health survey of more than 55,000 Utah school children, conducted by the Utah Department of Health.

Among 19- to 24-year-olds, 25 percent reported having tried e-cigarettes and 9 percent continued to use them, according to the health department.

“There’s a lot of danger associated with these cigarettes,” Utah PTA President Gainell Rogers said. “It is a safety issue for our children as well as a health issue.”

Limited research on e-cigarettes makes it difficult to assess those risks. The lack of evidence has prompted the American Cancer Society, and other advocacy organizations, to refrain from taking a stance on e-cigarette use. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found that e-cigarettes do contain harmful levels of nicotine, a substance the agency classifies as a stimulant drug.

E-cigarette manufacturers claim the product is safer than cigarettes, as a vaporized mixture of various chemicals and low amounts of nicotine actually enters the body through inhalation, instead of a steady stream of straight nicotine from an ignited, tobacco-filled cigarette. The product simulates the look, feel and flavor of smoking, according to a website promoting Green Nicotine, an e-cigarette brand previously sold at the Fashion Place Mall.

“There is no safe level of tobacco smoke,” said David Neville, spokesman for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at the Utah Department of Health.

In smoking a cigarette, he said, a user generally knows how much nicotine is being consumed. “They know if they are a half-a-pack-a-day smoker. When it comes to an electronic cigarette, you just don’t know. You just keep on smoking,” Neville said.

Some consumers view an e-cigarette as a nicotine replacement, a method to help them quit smoking. But Neville argued that the device is not compatible with a step-therapy program because it delivers a specific level of nicotine to the user and can be refilled when emptied.

“It’s confusing to a smoker or someone who is trying to quit,” he said, noting that nicotine gums and patches are offered in varying nicotine levels and help people kick the habit.

When you are in the market to buy your very first electric cigarette starter kit, there are many options available today and it might be hard to decide which brand and which kit is right for you. First of all, you can narrow your choices tremendously when you research which companies sell the brands that are rated among the most high performance and dependability, such as Choice 7. What’s more is the top ranking companies usually also have several kits to pick from.

You choose a kit according to how much you normally smoke. If you have been a heavy tobacco smoker, then you want a starter kit that contains at least two batteries so that you can always have one charged when one runs down. If you ride in your car a lot, you want a kit that includes a car charger as a standard accessory included. If you are a computer user all the time, then pick a kit that includes A USB charger too. E cigarettes are very convenient to use, but you need to right accessories to make it happen.

Times are moving fast these days; everything is either becoming digitalized or electronic. Who would have thought that cigarettes would find themselves wandering down this path of modern evolution. Well it’s true, electronic cigarettes are becoming more and more prominent in today’s world and it’s starting to become a very competitive market. Consumers are constantly looking for the safest option in today’s health conscious environment, and this inevitably means producers are out to create the best electronic cigarettes to get ahead of the game. All of this results in a safer, nicotine world, and slowly but surely we are seeing the traditional cigarette become obsolete.

Studies have shown that most customers these days prefer to research a product before making a purpose through means of internet reviews especially. In this day and age where consumers are becoming increasingly clever, it’s important to be able to supply them with the information they need. Luckily there are many websites out there that offer thorough and comprehensive electronic cigarette reviews to help customers have a better idea of which is the best electronic cigarette to buy.

Electronic cigarettes are becoming more popular in shops as well. Many shop owners have commented on just what an impact selling electronic cigarettes has had on their customer influx. A lot of customers are excited by this safer option of smoking, so if as a shop you can build an early reputation as being one of the best distributors of a variety of electronic cigarettes then you are in for some good times.

Even the media has done their part to help; many movie goers will recall seeing Johnny Depp smoking an electric cigarette in his hit film The Tourist. After that, many stores around the country reported massive increases in the sale of electronic cigarettes.

There has also been an increase in website traffic as customers seek out electronic cigarette reviews to guide them into choosing the right brand for themselves. There are many websites out there that present the pros and the cons in a logical structure, making it easier for you as the consumer, to choose the best electronic cigarette.

If you want to kick your smoking habit this year, get some help from Freshcig. If one of your New Year resolutions is to quit smoking then we have the perfect competition prize for you. Freshcig is giving away an electronic cigarette starter kit to 15 goodtoknow users, worth £19.99, to help you kick the habit. While smoke from conventional cigarettes contains harmful carcinogens, Freshcig simply vapourises a clean nicotine solution – giving you a similar sensation to smoking, without the bad bits. Freshcig is a perfect way to cut down your nicotine reliance.

The nicotine solution within the cigarette’s mouthpiece is vaporized when you inhale which makes it feel like you’re smoking a real cigarette – without the nasty bits! Smelly clothes, bad breath and being out of breath can become a thing of the past.

The starter kit includes 5 nicotine solution cartridges, a rechargeable lithium battery and a USB charger.

THE sale of electronic cigarettes has rocketed 200 per cent over the past year as smokers look to alternative ways of getting their nicotine fix. The products, which offer a nicotine hit without the inhalation of tobacco, do not fall under the jurisdiction of the smoking ban and are proving especially popular with smokers during the winter months. But anti-tobacco campaigners have warned that the product could glamorise smoking and raised fears that there is currently no regulation of the device.

“It’s only the beginning of December, but we are already seeing sales climb,” he said. “Electronic cigarettes make an imaginative gift and can be used as a healthier alternative to traditional cigs.

“But we are also seeing many people buy them for themselves as they can be used anywhere, so smokers can get their nicotine hit without having to huddle outside in the freezing cold.”

Celebrities including green-fingered Alan Titchmarsh, snooker player Jimmy “Whirlwind” White, singer Matt Cardle and June Brown, chain smoking EastEnders’ star Dot Cotton, are all known to favour e-cigarettes.

Sheila Duffy, chief executive of anti-tobacco charity ASH Scotland, said it is “interested in the potential that e-cigarettes could have to help people take the first steps away from a deadly tobacco habit. With e-cigarettes, however, there is no standardisation or regulation of the product, which concerns us.

“Many e-cigarettes also look like cigarettes and, as a society, we should be moving away from giving the impression that smoking is desirableto protect young people from the harms of tobacco.”