Johnson Creek — Christian Berkey was a nearly two-pack-a-day smoker when he heard about electronic cigarettes, a device that vaporizes a solution of water, nicotine and flavoring without the smoke and the combustion. Berkey went on the Internet and ordered the device. “I was stunned. I took a puff, and it gave me the same experience as cigarettes,” Berkey said. “It looked like smoke coming out, but you can’t smell it. It addressed the tactile sensation of smoking.” There was one problem.

“I was not thrilled by the taste,” he said. “Chinese smoke juice had a chemical aspect to it.”

Berkey decided he could do better. He wasn’t worried about perfecting the pen-like device, which carries a battery and usually has an LED light on the end. He believed the solution to a successful smoking experience was to make the smoke juice taste better.

Berkey went to work, testing various formulas and trying to improve the taste. That was in November 2007. By February 2008, he started to see some results. Two months and countless variations later, he found the formula he liked.

Unlike the Chinese version, which contains countless ingredients, Berkey’s formula was simple, using only seven ingredients.

In July 2008, Berkey quit his job as a manager of an Apple retail store and took the plunge.

He started to talk about his product on online forums devoted to e-cigarettes. He offered consumers free samples. The feedback he was getting was good.

“They loved it,” he said. “No one wanted to touch the Chinese stuff.”

Ramping up

That was Berkey’s “aha moment.” He cashed in his 401(k) and started his business, called Johnson Creek Enterprises.

“It was not an easy decision, but I did it,” Berkey said.

Berkey convinced Heidi Braun, another Apple employee, to join him. A non-smoker and an asthmatic, Braun wasn’t exactly the ideal business partner for an e-cigarette smoke juice business.

“But I trusted Christian’s ability to come up with a business plan,” she said.

From that humble start, Johnson Creek Enterprises has grown to 14 full-time employees, has a thriving business that expects to generate $2 million in sales this year, and is looking to move into bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and taverns with sales of e-cigarettes and the company’s Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice.

And the two did it with no advertising.

At their cramped headquarters in a Johnson Creek industrial park, Berkey, the CEO, and Braun, the chief operating officer, are proud of the quality controls they have in their business. The smoke juice is prepared and put in small bottles in a “clean room,” a controlled environment where products are manufactured, where lab technicians wear head-to-toe lab coveralls and goggles.

The company claims to be the first company to produce smoke juice in the United States. It lists its ingredients on every bottle, uses child-resistant caps on the bottles, and shrink wraps the bottles for extra safety.

Berkey and Braun say business is so good, they plan to add as many as 12 to 14 more employees in the months to come. And they are looking for a bigger building to handle their needs.

Johnson Creek Enterprises produces 10 different flavors in four nicotine strengths for the firm’s Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice line. And it offers six flavors in three nicotine strengths for the Red Oak, propylene glycol-free smoke juice line.

A 1-ounce bottle of smoke juice costs $19.95. A half-ounce bottle costs $9.95.

Regulators take notice

The business is not for everyone. The Food and Drug Administration conducted a lab test of electronic cigarette samples it said contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals, such as diethylene glycol (DEG), an ingredient used in antifreeze.

Moreover, the FDA warned that smoke juice and e-cigarettes are being marketed and sold to young people, and contain no health warnings. The flavors, the FDA said, “may appeal to young people.”

The FDA study, Berkey said, did find DEG but in trace amounts. Asked whether the FDA had tested Johnson Creek smoke juice, Berkey said he could not comment.

“I know regulation is coming, and it’s fine,” Berkey said. “We definitely look forward to working with the FDA.”

Berkey and Braun also are anticipating July 5, when state businesses must go smoke-free. The company has an exclusive agreement with Blu electronic cigarettes, and hopes to convince the owners of bars, restaurants and other public places to sell the e-cigarettes and their smoke juice in their establishments.

“We have a lot of folks who are interested in this,” Braun said.

The new law does not forbid the use and consumption of e-cigarettes, but both Berkey and Braun agree their venture will only succeed if they educate the public about the device and their smoke juice.

Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin, isn’t buying it. Johnson Creek’s efforts to get into the restaurant and bar business by selling the e-cigarettes and the smoke juice may confuse people.

“And it’s appalling they are trying to get kids addicted to nicotine,” she said.

Berkey understands that. Puffing on an e-cigarette, he and Braun argue that people should educate themselves on the product.

“This is an alternative. It’s better than smoking,” Berkey said.

From jsonline.com, June 21, 2010

Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigs” as they are sometimes called, are a fairly new take on an age old habit. These battery powered devices look practically identical to an actual cigarette and are about the same size as one. Contained within the unit is what is called an “atomizer”, which is a piece of micro technology that is the key component to how the device works. Small, disposable cartridges full of nicotine infused e-liquid are inserted into the atomizer, which in turn is screwed onto the battery, which composes the main bulk of the electronic cigarette. From there the process is about as user friendly as it gets. By either inhaling directly from the unit (automatic function), or pressing a button while inhaling (triggered function), the unit immediately vaporizes the e-liquid into a thick, white, odorless vapor that is identical to smoke. The process is so seamless, that many people claim the experience is indiscernible from that of traditional smoking.

Much of the hype of this new product is attributed to the many benefits it holds over tobacco. For instance, the vapor produced by the e cigarette is completely odorless and leaves no hint of ever existing on your person or your surroundings. And since the byproduct is only vapor second hand smoke is not an issue, which means most smoking bans and restrictions do not apply to the electronic cigarette; you can use it virtually anywhere. But perhaps the most significant aspect of the e-cig is the fact that its nicotine liquid and the vapor produced by it contain none of the tar, chemicals, or carcinogens that tobacco is known to possess.

There is an automatic led light built into the tip of the e-cig to simulate a lit cigarette. No sort of ignition is ever required while using an electronic cigarette because all of the vaporization takes place within the unit and is a flameless technology. This means no lighters or matches will ever be needed again and more importantly, no risk of cigarette burns in furniture or falling asleep with a lit cigarette. No more ash all over the car dashboard, no more over flowing ashtrays and no more cigarette butts; it’s an amazing experience to feel like you have just smoked a cigarette and yet still feel very fresh and unsullied.

Each individual nicotine cartridge has a nicotine level, ranging from HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW and NON-NICOTINE. This innovative feature makes it suitable to tailor the experience to exactly what the user wants, and makes it convenient to gradually swap out to lower levels and ultimately use non-nicotine cartridges, if one wished to do so. In addition to nicotine levels, e cigarettes also give you the option to select a variety of different flavors per cartridge. And with each individual cartridge equaling between a half to a full pack of cigarettes and a FIVE pack of cartridges typically about $9.99, it’s easy to see the potential money to be saved when converting from cigarette to e-cig.

This is a product that should have been around decades ago and it’s finally here, showing us that tobacco is no longer the only choice.

officialwire.com, by Lincoln Anderson, June 17, 2010

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, were first made in China and are sold mostly on the Internet.
They are battery-powered devices which emit a “puff” or fine mist of nicotine into the lungs and are intended to replace normal cigarettes and help smokers quit.

The products are at the center of a legal battle in the United States between manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates drugs and which wants to stop e-cigarettes from being imported into the U.S.

The FDA, which conducted research into e-cigarettes, has expressed concerns about their safety, and teams from Greece and New Zealand have also carried out studies into them.

But interpretations of the three reports vary, with the New Zealand study saying e-cigarettes should be recommended because they are safer than tobacco cigarettes, and the Greek study taking a broadly neutral stance.

“The limited information given in these three reports represents all the knowledge we currently have about e-cigarettes,” Andreas Flouris and Dimitris Oikonomou, of the Institute of Human Performance and Rehabilitation in Greece, wrote in the British Medical Journal.

“This may be one reason why the battle…between the FDA and e-cigarette manufacturers has been so heated.”

A U.S. judge last week granted an injunction barring the Obama administration from trying to ban imports of e-cigarettes, saying the move was part of “aggressive efforts” by the FDA to regulate “recreational tobacco products.”

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world, killing more than 5 million people a year. A report by the World Lung Foundation last August said smoking could kill a billion people this century if trends hold.

Flouris and Oikonomou said that while “alternative smoking strategies are always welcome in an effort to reduce the threat to public health” caused by tobacco, safety was also vital.

“More rigorous chemical analyses are needed, followed by extensive research involving animal studies and, finally, clinical trials in humans,” they wrote.

More than a year after MaltaToday revealed that the Health Ministry had classified the tobacco-free ‘e-cigarette’ as a tobacco product, a legal notice has established that even these devices will fall under the smoking ban.

The legal notice states that any “device which is intended as a substitute to a conventional tobacco product” shall fall under the Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act.
The e-cigarette is a tobacco-free device that is used to replicate the sensation of a traditional cigarette by means of an electronic simulation. Containing neither tobacco, nor tar, it is a nuisance-free solution for passive smokers.

According to the legal notice, any device bearing the word ‘cigarette’ or ‘tobacco’ which is intended as a substitute to a conventional tobacco product shall be deemed as a tobacco device.

It further stipulates that “all tobacco devices are to comply with the provisions of the Tobacco Act”, which means that they cannot be freely advertised, that they cannot be smoked in enclosed public spaces and that they can only be used by adults over the age of 18.

The e-cigarette looks very much like a plastic cigarette, with a mouthpiece containing a replaceable cartridge filled with liquid containing nicotine, a solvent called propylene glycol and flavourings. As smokers inhale, a sensor between the mouthpiece and the rod (which is actually the device’s rechargeable battery) activates a microprocessor to disperse the cartridge liquid into tiny droplets onto a small, inbuilt burner.

As the droplets sense the heat, the liquid is vapourised along with the nicotine. When the user inhales this vapour, the feeling of traditional smoking is simulated, and the vapour exhaled is somewhat similar to normal cigarette smoke – with the exception that it is odourless and it settles after a few seconds.

Those making use of it get their nicotine fix without the adverse effects of a normal cigarette. In the UK, the e-cigarette has allowed smokers to puff away happily in public spaces, legally and with no complaints from bystanders.

Legislation sponsored by Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Joan Voss (both D-Bergen) to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and include e-cigarettes in the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act received final legislative approval 38-0 Thursday by the Senate.

Wagner said she’s concerned e-cigarettes are being marketed to children because they offer flavors like chocolate, banana and strawberry and could serve as a gateway to real cigarette use.

“These are dangerous devices and I want to make sure our children are protected,” Wagner said. “I’m very concerned that young people who use these things will get hooked on the nicotine and eventually move onto the real thing, opening the door to a lifetime of expensive and debilitating health problems.”

E-cigarettes look like the real thing but don’t contain tobacco. They employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a nicotine solution. Users breathe in the resulting vapor.

“Electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals, with one study even finding they use a toxic ingredient found in antifreeze,” Voss said. “We have every reason to be worried about the safety of these products that are easy for youngsters to buy and also contain no health warning like you find on real cigarettes.”

The legislation (A-4227/A-4228) would extend the state ban on the sale of tobacco products to those under 19 years of age to e-cigarettes and include e-cigarettes in the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces.

The bill also was sponsored by Assemblywomen Nancy Munoz (R-Union), Mary Pat Angelini (R-Monmouth) and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden).

The legislation now heads to the governor.

CHICAGO – Maybe you’ve never seen them, but the demand for “e-cigarettes” is growing fast.

Six months ago, vendors report there were roughly 30 U.S. suppliers, a number that’s grown to well over 100. But with moves nationwide to regulate their use, it’s clear they’re lighting up a controversy.

CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole reports.

As he exhales small swirling clouds from his mouth, it sure looks like Mark Miller is smoking. But he’s not. He’s “vaping.”

“How closely it resembles a cigarette really helps fool your mind,” the 20-year-old college student from Elk Grove Village said.

Miller takes a drag on an e-cigarette. The battery-operated device heats up a mix of addictive nicotine and water to produce the vapors he inhales. It even lights up at the end to simulate the complete smoking experience.

“It’s very similar to smoking a cigarette — the big cloud of smoke, you can feel the vapor going in,” Miller says.

He began using the device a few weeks ago to help him break a pack-a-day habit.

He believes he’s making a healthier choice. But many health organizations disagree, pointing out the nicotine-delivery system has not yet been fully tested by the government. The American Lung Association supports the Food and Drug Administration in its drive to regulate e-cigarette use.

“There is a vapor that’s admitted and inhaled into the lungs, and we do not know exactly what’s contained in that vapor,” says Harold Wimmer of the American Lung Association of Illinois.

Often it’s flavored mixes like peanut butter and bubble gum. But early government studies discovered trace amounts of the same carcinogens found in regular cigarettes.

Most suppliers are opposing regulation, but not Schaumberg-based Cigtechs.com, which services about 100 customers a month.

“It should tested fully because people are consuming it,” company representative Chris Ray said.

Miller says he gets double-takes when using the devices but has never had anyone ask what it is. He also has used it in grocery stores, movie theaters and other places where smoking is banned — without incident.

Regardless of the firestorm, Miller believes e-cigarettes will help him stop smoking.

The e-cigarette kits cost as little as $40 and will last a pack-a-day smoker about 10 days. Sales this year are expected to reach $100 million.

Neither cigtechs.com nor the American Lung Association knew of any laws in Illinois prohibiting their use or sale. Bans are pending in Oregon, New Jersey and New York.

© Cbs2chicago

Smoking bans are getting out of control, but the electronic cigarette is quickly becoming the dominant alternative to those who are suffering from them. At one point, you could justifiably expect to be restricted from smoking on public forms of transportation or in your office but nowadays bans are extending far beyond the confines of public buildings. Some North American cities even prohibit smoking in parks or on city streets. So what does a smoker do if they want to enjoy a cigarette but smoking bans prohibit them? Many of them switch to the Green Smoke e-cigarette and enjoy the freedom of smoking everywhere.

In the 1950s smoking was a carefree activity that nobody spent much time thinking about. But as scientific evidence has mounted showing how smoking is harmful to not only the smoker but the innocents breathing second hand smoke as well, governments have run wild banning smoking everywhere from bars and restaurants to almost everywhere. Luckily, electronic cigarettes represent a smokeless alternative that allows smokers the freedom to enjoy their habit in many of the places that actively ban smoking.

With no second hand smoke, the smoking bans do not apply to e-cigarettes. When no thick smoke and toxic smells are released by electric cigarettes, green smokers can finally have their cake and eat it too. And to add a cherry on top of that cake, use coupon code “disc10-1170” when you make your order, it will give you 10% off your new e-cigarette kit.

WASHINGTON – Matt Salmon, president of the Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA), today
praised California Governor Schwarzenegger`s wise decision to veto Senate Bill
400, which would have banned electronic cigarette sales in the state, protecting
adult consumers` access to these alternative smoking devices.

“This is not just a victory for consumers and common sense but is smart public
policy as well,” said Salmon. “Rejecting this bill is the right step and should
serve as a model for other states to follow.”

In his veto message, Governor Schwarzenegger reiterated the stance of the ECA
that strongly supports restricting access of electronic cigarettes to children
under the age of 18. “We agree with the original intent of SB 400 to ban sales
to those under the legal smoking age. And we support that on a national level as
well,” added Salmon.

The Governor affirmed that this restriction should not apply to adult consumers:
“If adults want to purchase and consume these products with an understanding of
the associated health risks, they should be able to do so unless and until
federal law changes the legal status of these tobacco products.”

The ECA actively communicated to the Governor its members` concerns about the
bill and the fact that banning these electronic cigarettes would disenfranchise
thousands of California adult smokers who have difficulty quitting but want an
alternative to combustible cigarettes without the host of carcinogens and
harmful chemicals. Salmon credited this legislative victory to the efforts of
thousands of consumers and ECA members who appealed directly to Governor
Schwarzenegger to protect their rights.

“While we know that combustible tobacco smoking kills over 400,000 Americans
annually, and the percentage of smokers that quit every year is dismally low, we
ought to be looking for more alternatives to traditional combustible tobacco
products,” said Salmon.

Electronic cigarette kits usually include the electronic cigarette, a
replaceable cartridge pack (that may or may not contain nicotine), rechargeable
lithium batteries, and a charger. There is some variation between different
companies in what is included in their starter kit, but all components are
listed on their Web sites. While ECA members do not market these devices as a
healthy alternative or smoking cessation device, it is clear that they do not
contain the harmful tars and hundreds of carcinogens that consumers get from
combustible tobacco products.

“We look forward to working with all government agencies, including the FDA, to
ensure that consumers who want an alternative to combustible tobacco products
have access to e-cigarettes that contain fewer harmful substances and produce no
secondhand smoke,” concluded Salmon.

About the Electronic Cigarette Association

The ECA (http://www.ecassoc.org) is an association of private sector companies
engaged in electronic cigarette technologies. Its mission is to provide the
tools and information necessary for policy-makers, opinion leaders, media, and
private sector companies worldwide to make informed decisions about the
management and use of electronic cigarette technologies. The association
institutes and promotes industry-wide standards and a code of conduct, works to
maintain sound professional practices, educates the public and policy-makers on
the industry`s activities and potential, and works to ensure the ethical use of
electronic cigarette technologies.

Electronic Cigarette Association
Matt Salmon, 202-841-6729
msalmon@policyimpact.com

UTICA, New York – A strong majority of Americans want to see electronic cigarettes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (59%), but nearly half (47%) say the smokeless devices should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking, similar to patches, gum and lozenges currently on the market, and that number increases to 57% among those who have heard about ecigarettes prior to taking the poll.

The Zogby Interactive poll of 4,611adults was conducted August 28-31 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub groups.

In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as ecigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smokes with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer. Ecigarettes vaporize a solution often containing nicotine, but there is no smoke, just odorless water vapor, and produce almost no dangerous carcinogens.

Almost half of all respondents (48%) say they have heard of electronic cigarettes. About a third of those polled (35%) say that because electronic cigarettes produce no smoke, they should be allowed in places where smoking is currently prohibited, while about half (46%) say they should not.

Men who have heard of ecigarettes are far more likely than women who have heard about them to say they should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking (65% vs. 49%), and only one percent of those polled say they have used an ecigarette, but 16% overall say they would try one if they were given a chance, and 81% say they would not. First GlobalsTM those age 18-29, are the most likely age group to say they would try an ecigarette if given the chance (25%) compared to just 8% of those 65 and older who say the same. Respondents who are single (23%) are almost twice as likely as those who are married (12%) to say they would try it.

Pubs have started stocking simulation cigarettes to beat the smoking ban.
Licensed premises in Brighton and Hove have begun selling electronic cigarettes as an alternative to punters looking for a nicotine kick.

The battery-powered substitutes, dubbed “e-cigs”, contain liquid nicotine capsules and produce steam when exhaled.

The controversial product, which has been banned in Australia, is being stocked by the Prince of Wales and the Regency Tavern in the city.

Aron Barnes, the landlord of the Regency Tavern in Russell Square, Brighton, said: “It looks, feels and tastes like an ordinary cigarette.

“Because we don’t have an outside smoking area it’s something which we can offer to smokers as an alternative.

“It’s only the same as a nicotine patch except you can actually control how much goes into your system.

“The more we explain, the more and more people are trying them.”

E-cigs, which can be charged either through a socket or USB port, are on sale for about £5.

They can be used inside public areas because no flame or smoke is produced.

But critics claim the product presents a danger, particularly to young people.

Brighton and Hove city councillor Geoffrey Theobald has spoken out on the subject.

As chairman of the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services, which oversees trading standards in councils across the country, he said: “It is disturbing that these products are on sale in Britain without a warning to people about the high nicotine content and the danger they present to children.

“The Government needs to introduce new laws to force manufacturers to restrict sales to people over 18.

“Councils are testing as many of these e-cigarettes as possible and protecting people by dealing with the issues relating to incorrect packaging and labelling.”

E-cigarettes have also appeared in other businesses in the city.

Stuart Morris, the manager of Marketplace Brighton in Meeting House Lane, said: “We’ve only just started stocking it so it’s too early to tell if its a popular alternative.

“But it ticks all the boxes from a variety of tests and checks. We’ll just have wait for feedback from our customers.”

Theargus

As trust in the government fades fast in the United States, they may be on the verge of another critical mistake: outlawing electronic cigarettes and giving smokers only two options: quit or die.

A recent laboratory study performed at the request of the Food and Drug Administration revealed ingredients in e-cigarettes that skeptics suspected all along. The minuscule presence of diethylene glycol, an ingredient that is found in antifreeze and certain levels of nitrosamines, were found in some cartridges.

Concern over the safety of these products is at a peak and the opposition questions the effects of the product on people’s health as well as the theory that the different flavored cartridges will attract children.

“When I think of the type of person that would use an e-cigarette, I think of a person who wants a good alternative to real cigarettes, not a child or a non-smoker,” says Juliet Herstrom, a supporter of e-cigarettes. “It’s not labeled as a cessation device, but they can’t control what people try to use it for.”

The e-cigarette is neither a cessation device nor has it been classified by the FDA as of this time.

“It matters, of course, that there is the presence of this chemical in e-cigarettes,” continues Herstrom. “But given the choice between the two, the smarter choice for a smoker is the e-cigarette. Hands down.”

Another supporter of e-cigarettes, Michael Norton, sounds off. “It’s ridiculous. It really is. They find a single chemical in the e-liquid and suddenly e-cigarettes are dangerous. How about the fact that tobacco cigarettes contain this same chemical and thousands of others at higher concentrations? How come those nicotine patches and inhalers are allowed to be sold? Why is there all of this concern when there are already products that deliver nicotine?”

Jennifer Corcoran, a supporter and user of e-cigarettes, declares that “there will be war in the courtroom if any law is passed that prohibits the sale of these devices.” She, among others, believes that the e-cigarette could truly help smokers stop smoking. “I’m on month 3, and I haven’t smoked a cigarette since I turned to the e-cigarette. If these are banned, the FDA will have hell to pay!”

Amidst the controversy, the e-cigarette, a product that could very well revolutionize the smoking industry, has collected the loyalty of its supporters.


© Prnewswire

ASH recently put out a press release stating that they had warned PayPal that they could be held criminally liable for processing payments for E Cigarette retailers in an attempt to shut down online retailers from selling their goods online, but the public reaction may not be what ASH expected and may have just solidified the resolve of e cigarette supporters to keep them on the market.

Due to the pressure by these special interest groups, PayPal has now not only frozen the money in the accounts of these retailers, but made sure no other transactions can be completed by the retailers that use PayPal as their merchant system, putting many online retailers in a financial crunch.

The backlash has begun as message boards, and forums have lit up with angry members and postings concerning the act’s of ASH and PayPals decision to cave to pressures from the special interest groups. On several online forums, dozens of users have stated that they are canceling their PayPal accounts and vow to never use them again as a payment processor online.

There has also been speculation that PayPal has only targeted online retailers that sell e liquid while turning a blind eye to the actual e cigarettes, but the reports of retailers is growing by the day that are on the PayPal banned list, and some do not sell e liquid.

There have also been several discussions online and in comments of other news releases of the e cigarette users filing suit against Ash and Paypal for the actions and possibly forcing once tobacco free users back to tobacco products.

It seems that the general population is not buying the political tactics of the FDA, ASH and PayPal, but they are buying and supporting e cigarettes, the users and suppliers like e cigarettes national that was not a PayPal user.

© Officialwire