Quote Worth Posting.

"My concern is that public health bureaucrats are now more interested in whether there should be a cultural norm of individuals putting small cylindrical devices between their lips than whether the consequences of doing so are life threatening."
               -Mark Littlewood

What's in a name?

Electronic cigarette.

I have never used one.

Not even that very first BlowOne.

Do these look like cigarettes?

I smoked a cigarette on the way to the store to buy the BlowOne. I even smoked a cigarette on the way back from the store. I got home, filled the tank, turned on the battery and… the BlowOne is not a cigarette. It isn't a good replacement or alternative for a cigarette. It doesn't look like a cigarette, doesn't taste like a cigarette, and it certainly doesn't satisfy the craving for a cigarette…

So why the name ‘electronic cigarette’?

I quit smoking with a Beyond Vape Spire, a Kanger pro tank 3, and an assortment of e-liquids... a setup that was, well, most definitely not an electronic 'cigarette'. In fact none of the hardware that I have since collected bear any resemblance to cigarettes. Nor do any of the e-liquids that I use.

So why the name ‘electronic cigarette’?

To be fair, there are some devices that the label seems to fit… mostly the offerings of companies like Altrias, Lorillard, Njoy, and RJ Reynolds. Products that are designed to be artificial cigarettes. Products that many of us refer to as cig-a-likes. ...But I’m not thinking about cig-a-likes today, I’m thinking about everything else, everything that isn't a cig-a-like.

And I’m thinking that calling everything else electronic cigarettes is bad. It’s bad for the community, it’s bad for the industry and its bad for public perception.

Over the years the anti smoking brigade has convinced 80% of the population that smoking is bad. That a cigarette ember is actually a tiny rift exposing the very fires of hell and that cigarette smoke is a vile miasma issued from the burning souls of the damned… and… I may just be overstating things a little bit, but the point remains that the more vaping is equated to cigarettes in the mind of the public, the more of an uphill battle we face in our efforts to oppose anti-vaping legislation. We can’t change the legal definitions, but we can challenge the language that we, ourselves, use. We can, hopefully, realize a shift in the terms that the general public associates with vaping, and separate vaping, if ever so slightly, from all the negativity associated with the word ‘cigarette’.

Good Reason To Vape #3: It's safer than Canada

Vaping... safer than Canada

Seriously, I don't know what's up with that, but if you vape and are in the market for life insurance, it's something you may run across. Most insurance companies treat vaping just like they treat smoking... a fact which boggles the mind and makes one wonder what they are passing off as logic. Of course, most of us aren't interested in paying an exorbitant smokers premium, which means that we aren't interested in most insurance companies. so we keep looking for that rare company that recognizes the difference between the 450,000 U.S. deaths attributed to cigarette smoking each year... and the 0 deaths attributed to vaping. Eventually we find that mythical vape friendly company. and then it happens. there are conditions. No existing cancer, no existing heart disease, and no recent or planed trips to Canada.

Canada

Because...? how many deaths are attributed to Canada each year? Maybe it's not actually Canada, maybe it's something about crossing the Canadian boarder, or it could be Canadian Mounties or maple syrup or, well, I don't know, but whatever it is, vaping is safer. And that's something, right? So next time someone gets all up in your face about vaping, you just look them straight in the eyes and tell them that Vaping is safer than Canada! They won't take you seriously, but it may confuse them for a moment or two.

Rambling thoughts with gratuitous references to Alice's Restaurant and Star Wars.

We all have our story. and we like to share them. We've quit smoking, we've cut down our nicotine intake, we're cleaner, healthier... We've rehabilitated ourselves. and we're proud of it. We have every right to be.for many of us our success comes after years of failed attempts.

So we share our stores
Sometimes it's just adding a signed cigarette pack to the wall at your favorite B&M to show that we quit.

Other times it's more like the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre, With Full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and all 

and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, did you ever Go to court?" And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty seven eight-by-ten Colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on The back of each one, and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want You to go and sit down on that bench that says Group W .... NOW kid!!"

And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, and there is, Group W's Where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after Committing your special crime, and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly Looking people on the bench there. Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father Rapers! Father rapers sitting right there on the bench next to me! And They was mean and nasty and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the Bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one, the meanest Father raper of them all, was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly 'n' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things and he sat down next to me And said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay $50 and pick up the garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?" And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench There, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I Said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand, And we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing, Father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the Bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of Things, until the Sargeant came over, had some paper in his hand, held it Up and said.

"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna- Know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing- You-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting- Officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for Forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had Fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there, And I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it Down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the Pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the Other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on The other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the Following words: 

KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?

and that's it isn't it. As smokers we were all made to feel like Group W, and at times it felt as if all that anyone wanted to know, unless they were sitting on the Group W bench with us, was if we had rehabilitated ourselves. well, we have. So why are we still sitting on the Group W bench?

Aw... do you wan't a cookie?

No. We don't. Look, we're not asking anyone to reward us with a cookie just because we quit smoking., and we have cookie flavored vapes if we want the taste of snicker-doodles or chocolate chip... we're just tired of being treated like a wretched hive of scum and villainy. We thought that we had left the Dark Side when we quit smoking. It's a bit disheartening to find that the rules have been changed and our success is met with a frown of disapproval. Although... the more I think about it, my Innoken 134 does look a bit like a lightsabre, and sith lords are cool... so if, from here on out, you'll kindly refer to me as 'Darth Vaper' I'll be far less prickly about the Dark Side thing and the Group W bench.

but let's be clear... when it comes to vilifying ex smokers who switched to vaping your'e being a bit disingenuous. You can worry about our nicotine after you've delt with your sugar addition, and your caffeine addiction. You an criticize its use as a mood stabilizer when you get over your political correctness and also criticize the use of carbamazepine, divalpreoex sodium, gabapentine, lamotrigine, lithium, lurasidone, olanzapine, oxarbazepine, paliperidone, quetiapine, riluzole, risperidone,sodium valproate, topiramate, valproic acid, or ziprasidone (that list quickly got longer than I expected). You can treat us like drug users when you treat everyone that uses the aforementioned addictions and mood stabilizers the same... and everyone that uses alcohol. You can complain about the smell when... wait? what? It can't possibly be about the smell, even if it is, when incense and aromatherapy, and poeple dousing themselves in a gallon of overbearing cologne/perfume becomes illegal, then we can talk about the smell.

I would like to be able to walk down the street or sit outside and enjoy a vape without someone going into some sort of epileptic interpretive dance convolution as they try to wave away a few wisps of vape cloud. ...and it is a few wisps, I'm an off-the-shelf coil, tank using vaper. Every time I encounter someone treating us like we're blowing clouds of pure evil what I really want to do is yell "fuck off you teetotaling twat", well, that or force-choke them.

Good Reason To Vape #2: Weather

We are mothers and fathers. And sons and daughters. Who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from our vapes. Ever.

Smokers, on the other hand, may find it exceedingly difficult to even light a cigarette, especially if they are using matches rather than a lighter. Think back to every time you found yourself out and about in foul weather... umbrella pinched under your arm, one hand flicking a lighter while you desperately try to shield the flame from wind and rain with the other... wasn't fun was it? and if the weather was particularly bad, there was always the chance that a shift of the wind would result in a splash of rain right on your cigarette.  Or you could pull out your vape. Sure, the wind is still windy, the rain still wet, and the snow still cold, but none of that keeps your vape from working perfectly.

Where were all the vapers?

Yesterday I again made the trek out to Sacramento attend the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing on AB 1500.

I was originally going to write about the actual hearing, and I may still do that later, but right now I keep getting distracted by a frustration… where the heck was everybody?
A number of businesses came out: CultiVapors, Grand Vapor Station, Luxe Liquid Vapor, Tasty Vapor, and The Vapor Spot, as well as representatives from VMR Products (V2 Cigs) and NJoy.
Jim Root from California Vapor Association was present
And 4 individuals… 2 vapers and 2 spouses of vapers.

Only 2 vapers.

Yes, the number of vaping business that showed up to oppose AB 1500 was disappointingly small when compared to the total number of such businesses in California (and let us all remember to send our business, and money, to those that did participate), but we, the consumers outnumber the businesses by a very wide margin. so where were we?

How many of us are there in California? There does not seem to be any reliable statistic available, so I’m going to fudge it a little to come up with an estimate… according to the CDC over 3,839,000 individual adults smoke in California, and as of 2011, one in five of those had tried electronic cigarettes or roughly 767,800 adults. We can safely assume that many more have tried electronic cigarettes since then, but we can also assume that not everyone that ‘tries’ becomes a regular consumer, so we’ll stick with 767,800 as a reasonable estimate for now. 2 out of 767,800… That gives us a whopping .0002% of California vapers showing up to the hearing. Shameful

It’s true that , as of now, AB 1500 has failed passage. It’s true that there is currently no indication that the legislation will be proposed again anytime soon. It’s also true that we, as a community, can’t sit on our butts and hope that these things work out. If we care about the continued viability of the vaping industry, if we care about the continued availability of vaping products for our own continued use, and for use by others that may switch from smoking to vaping in the future, then we need to stand up against restrictive legislation.

California is a big place, and Sacramento certainly isn't geographically accessible to everyone in the state. Travel time, travel cost, and the need to maintain other aspects of our lives (like jobs) mean that we can’t expect some arbitrary percentage of California vapers to show up to these things, but there are enough of us that we should be able to make a better showing than just two people. Next time, and inevitably there will be a next time as some bill or other attempts to squash e-cigs, next time we should aspire to fill the hearing room to capacity with vapers.

A quick update on AB 1500

For those of you planning on heading to Sacramento tomorrow for the hearing on AB 1500… You are going? Right? If for no other reason than to show support for both the vaping industry and vaping community… For those of you planning on attending the AB 1500 hearing, plan on it being a long day. Word is that, while the committee meets at 9:00AM, AB 1500 won’t be heard until it’s sponsor, Dickinson, arrives… and he has another hearing that’s scheduled to run till 12:00. Since items are heard in the order that their sponsor signs in, this could push AB 1500 to last in line, or at least near it, for the day.

e-cigs are bad, m’kay?

It didn't take long after I discovered vaping to realize that there are people out there who are opposed to vaping. As I encountered more anti-vaping coverage in the media, and a few anti-vapers in the wild, I began to form an opinion about the opposition. They’re all idiots.

Yeah, I know, that’s not very kind of me, but it is exceedingly difficult to not question the intelligence of anyone who repeats statements about e-cigs being bad just because some of them look like cigarettes, or about how all flavored e-juice is targeted at kids because kids like flavors. And then there are the people who wave their arms around while fake coughing and then complains about the stench of smoke… Really? If smoke smells like vanilla custard in your world, then I say lets light a big ass fire, because this shit smells yummy!

The thing is, there’s a bit more than simple stupidity going on with some of these people. Or less. If the more/less scale is a measure of reasoned critical oppositions then there is definitely more less than more going on… more or less. Some of these people are really opposed to vaping. They aren't just buying into the oppositional frenzy. They've got some deep rooted animosity towards vaping going on. There’s no telling what it’s rooted in, it may be some kind of childhood trauma, or an inferiority complex. But they really do seem to believe that vaping is bad, evil, and nasty. I strongly suspect that some of them believe that vaping is the new Satan. Or maybe they believe that satan spends his time puffing away on an electronic cigarette, because, surely, they believe that he is still down in the underworld just waiting to devour the souls of the sinful and the immoral… and vapers.

Okay, so this has turned into a bit of a grump fest, so it’s time to turn thing around with a few thoughts on how to counter some of the negative voices… .

• Normalization. The very thing that some vaping opponents are afraid of. Normalization is your friend. The more that people see vaping the less they see it as a scary unknown. The more they see it as normal, non-intrusive, non-offensive behavior, the less likely they are to support those that want to regulate e-cigs into oblivion.
• Know your audience. Seriously, that person over there with two kids and an infant in a stroller? They don’t want to hear us extolling the virtues of vaping, or defending it as a safer, non-polluting alternative to smoking. They just want relatively clean air for their kids… respect that. 
• Ignore the zealots, they can’t be reasoned with, and short of a brain transplant, there is probably no way they’ll change their mind. But do pay attention to their arguments, and be prepared to counter them when you hear them again.
• And of course, speak up! Write to your local, state, and federal representatives. Write to the editor when local media runs an anti-vaping story. Don’t just type up some online comment, email, or better yet, write out and physically mail a letter when possible. Provide counter points to the anti vaping arguments, and provide sources!
• Finally, and this is important, don’t be vulgar or crass. If we sound like radical counter culture extremists, then we’ll likely be treated as such and not be taken seriously.

Diacetyl and who knows what else...

Here's a scary truth. Most of our e-juices are not safe. I'm not saying that they are harmful, or otherwise dangerous, just not safe. Now before anyone gets their panties all bunched up, let me explain. inhaling an unknown mix of chemicals isn't safe, and that's what much of out e-juice consists of, an unknown mix of chemicals. Some people are going to disagree with me. They'll say that they know exactly what's in their juice... propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings.

yep, and therein lies the problem... flavorings. Each variety of e-juice may contain multiple flavorings, and each of those flavorings, be it LorAnn, Flavor West, Flavor Art, Capella, Natures Flavors, or some other, contains a laundry list of chemicals. From the known bad like diacetyl to the unknown. Juice makers don't want to risk giving up their recopies, so they don't tell us exactly what flavorings they are using. and without knowing what flavorings are in a juice we don't know what flavorings we should be asking about, or even which manufacturer to ask. As an added bonus, the specific combinations of chemicals, in specific concentrations are FDA approved... for eating. Not for inhalation.

But it's not all doom and gloom bad news. There is little doubt that vaping posses a substantially reduced health risk compared to cigarettes, and with a little regulation, preferably of the self variety and not from the government, we may someday have full disclosure of e-juice ingredients as well as testing of how those ingredients behave when heated to a vapor and how they may affect us when we inhale them

Support the businesses that support the comunity

I've taken to listening to Smoke Free Radio on Wednesdays, and today I was re-listening to the show from this week (5/14/2014). First, if you are not listening to Smoke Free Radio, you should be. No, it's not 'happy fun-time supper-giggle entertainment' Its informative. For me, the big consumer oriented take-away from this week's episode is the realization that I, we, the consumers, need to be supporting the businesses that are supporting our community.

Buy what you want, buy the batteries, atties, and mods that work best for you. buy the fluids and flavors that keep you happy, but before you spend your money, take a look at the membership lists for organizations like SFATA and VISTA. These should be your preferred business lists. These are the businesses that are re-investing in you. In your right to vape.

And what do you do if your favorite juice vendor or retailer isn't a member? Let them know that they should be, and that you'll be shopping with someone who is... and taking your purchasing dollars with you.

Some businesses won't care, and that's fine, but without the industry coming together to support legislation, policies, and ,dare I say it, politicians, it could end up collapsing under restrictive legislation and regulation... if that happens, those businesses will be gone, no matter how much you supported them.

So support the businesses that support the community by supporting the businesses that support organizations like SFATA and VISTA, because those organizations are supporting your right to vape, and your access to an alternative to cigarettes.

Good Reason to Vape #1: Reduced Fire Risk

This is the first of a planned series of posts that aim to be a lighthearted look at what's good about vaping, especially when compared to cigarettes.
Please make special note of the fact that I said 'lighthearted', that means that I might actually exercise my sense of humor… my sense of humor. Which is to say that it might be a bit insensitive at times. If it bothers you, get over it. I’m getting to that age where I’m obligated to scowl at people while mumbling unpleasantries and to yell at kids to ‘get the hell off my lawn’ so a few cynical observations about the world really shouldn't be a problem.

The ordering of Good Reasons to Vape is arbitrary. There is no judgment or preference either explicit or implied in the ordering or numbering of reasons. I’m just going to start at the beginning (that being “1” or “One” for any of you that may be numerically challenged and need it spelled out) and work my way up through the numbers thusly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… etc.  Except that I’m not going to stop at 5 and I don’t plan on adding “etc” as a number.

Reasons may come from anywhere.They might come from my daily experiences, they might come from news stories, current events, or comments either here or on other sites, and they might be completely made up bullshit.

Now, on to reason #1: Reduced Fire Risk

Right now in California we are in the middle of both a drought and a heat wave. Expected temperatures near my home… “the low 100s”. Many Californians are wilting like unwatered house plants and whining about how extreme the heat is...It’s not, really.  I mean, it’s triple digits, so it’s hot and all that, but extreme? Please. (in case you haven’t guessed, I’m not native to California, and that means I don’t suffer from the traditional Californian lack of testicular fortitude when it comes to the weather). Meanwhile much of the local flora is beyond the wilting stage and well into the ready to burn stage… add to that a nice helping of dry down-slope winds and you get high fire risk. 

And yet, what do I see this morning on my way to the office? I see people flicking lit cigarettes out of their car windows as they drive… wait! Isn't that a whole field of dry grass right up next to the road? Well, yes it is, lets toss some hot embers into it and see what happens… 

Vapers are exceedingly unlikely to toss their setup on the ground twenty times a day, but even if we did, our personal vaporizers and electronic cigarettes don’t have hot glowing embers such as might start a fire. So while I would probably bitch about it if I saw someone flicking electronic cigarettes out their car window, at least it wouldn't make me worry about half the neighborhood potentially going up in flames!

With the next hearing rapidly approaching AB 1500 has been on my mind

Quick note: the AB 1500 hearing has been re-scheduled for next week... 05/21/2014

AB 1500:  Dickinson wants to make online purchasing so onerous that consumers would effectively be forced to buy from local stores rather than online, all so that the state can raise an additional estimated $24 million in tax revenue.

Or at least that’s where things started.

Somewhere along the way the target of the bill ‘Cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes” became just “Electronic cigarettes” And the individuals restricted from purchasing online changed from “persons in California” to “person under 18 years of age”

I wonder how much tax revenue Dickinson expects to raise by forcing persons “under 18 years of age” to buy their electronic cigarettes from local stores rather than online?...

None? Wait! What? Oh, that’s right, because a “person under 18 years of age” can’t legally purchase electronic cigarettes in California in the first place. So it’s clear that Dickinson isn't after tax revenue any more. Right? So what is he up to?

According to comments from the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization hearing April 30, 2014 the purpose of the bill is to extend age verification procedures that are already in place for the delivery of tobacco products to e-cigarettes, and that “This will help safeguard against minors having access to e-cigarettes.”

Keeping electronic cigarettes out of the hands of minors is a laudable goal, but…Is Dickinson saying that adult consumers should be forced to buy from local stores rather than online in order to make it harder for minors to get e-cigarettes? Is he really suggesting restricting the options of adults… of voters to lawfully purchase a legal product just so that he can make the dubious claim that his bill has helped keep electronic cigarettes away from minors?

Well, maybe, but that ignores the fact that SB 882, Chapter 310, Statutes of 2010 made it unlawful for a person to sell or otherwise furnish an e-cigarette to a person under 18 years of age… Anyone currently providing e-cigarettes to minors is already breaking the law, and adding another layer of law isn’t likely to dissuade them from continuing. It also ignores the fact that anyone purchasing electronic cigarettes online is using a credit card…  

Let’s just stop and think about that for a moment. If your child is using your credit card, with or without your knowledge and permission, then, to be blunt, it’s an issue of bad parenting. And if your child is making online purchases with a stolen credit card then electronic cigarettes are the least of your worries.

So where does that leave AB 1500?  Well, I’m not inside Dickinson’s head, which is probably a good thing for my personal sanity, but it seems to me that to understand AB 1500  we need only go back to the beginning. Dickinson wants to make online purchasing so onerous that consumers would effectively be forced to buy from local stores rather than online.  Not to raise revenue, and not to keep e-cigs from minors, but to make it harder for anyone to purchase electronic cigarettes at all, because, you know, that vague sense that anything with even a passing resemblance to smoking, must somehow be bad… unless it’s marijuana, complete with its higher than cigarette tar, carbon monoxide, benzene and toluene levels,  THAT get’s legalized.

Where do you keep your vaping supplies

… and why does it matter? It matters because, in the wrong hands, some of our vaping supplies could be harmful, and we, as the consumers of these products, have a responsibility to reduce the risk of harm to those around us.  My experience suggests that most e-cig users are adults that are smack-dab in the middle of the likely-to-have-a-family-at-home age range.  Which is to say, many of us have children in the house.

While there are near limitless options for storage, from boxes, to stands. From mass produced to custom made, I’m going to focus on off-the shelf lockable solutions here.

The toolbox solution.

Most tool boxes/tackle boxes/art boxes support a small padlock.  These range from simple boxes, to boxes with lift out trays, and boxes with cantilever sectioned trays.  Functionality wise, these offer the best value and come in almost any size you could want, but they aren't the best looking solution.

Options with built in locks start around the $50 dollar mark, but expect to pay more for bigger, better, and more aesthetic models.

For something that doesn't look like a tool box, consider any of the Vaultz personal lock boxes, 

or the Vaultz locking medicine case for your portable needs.

The personal safe solution.

Around the $100 mark will get you 1 cubic foot of storage space and a digital lock, not the most aesthetically pleasing option, but most will look nicer than a toolbox… and you just might have one at home already.  Personal safes can range anywhere from $20 for small cash box style units, on up to, well, as much as you want to spend.  If you are going to use it only for storing your vaping supplies you can save a bit of money by opting to get a safe that isn't fire/water proof.  Consider something like the SentrySafe X105 

Or X125 for a good balance between cost and size.

The machinists chest solution.

Seriously, while these are not the most affordable way to go, they do offer some of the most beautiful options for storage.   And they lock.  Now, before you decide that I've completely gone off my rocker… take a quick look at an image search for ‘machinist chest’ 

Are you back? Okay, See what I mean?

There are a LOT of gorgeous options here, especially with the wood chests. I mentioned that these are not the most affordable way to go… for the nicest vintage chests with no missing hardware, with a working lock and keys, the price tag can reach up into the thousands.  That’s a bit much for most of us to spend.  More modest units can be found at more reasonable prices, and sometimes that well-loved look is preferable to something that is supper-pristine-afraid-to-touch-it nice.  It’s also important to remember that, unless you are prepared to replace the locks, you will want to make sure that the original lock works and comes with the keys.

If you don’t want to go the antique route, there are a few manufacturers currently making really nice wooden machinists chests like Gerstner, and their less expensive Gerstner International line.

Whatever you chose, secure storage is a must for vaping supplies. Even if you don’t have any children or four footed furry family members in the house, eventually some friend or relative may visit with a little one in tow, and it is our responsibility, as adults, to ensure than any dangerous product, including our e-cigs and e-juice, isn't left out where little curiosity can get to it and possibly get hurt. 

Keeping our vaping supplies locked up also robs the media fear machine of another opportunity to vilify electronic cigarettes and their users.

Quick weekend thoughts...

Regulation doesn't have to be a bad thing. Depending on how it plays out, it could even be a good thing for us consumers. With the right regulation we may see the day that some assortment of e-juices and atomizers are available at the corner convenience store.  We wouldn't be talking about the demise of vapor bars as we know them now, but we could, potentially be looking forward to a day when it's just as easy to buy vaping supplies as it is to buy cigarettes.

 

As nice as the convenience of such a day might be, and as much as it might benefit the public by making it easier to switch from smoking to vaping, and consequently reducing smoking related health issues and pollution, as good as it sounds, it won't happen without our help.  We need to speak out, we need to write our representatives, to comment on the pending FDA regulations, and to encourage our vendors to do the same.

 

... and we need to stifle the urge to fling obscenities and insults, they only server to alienate the public and the politicians while making us look more like rebellious troublemakers than intelligent adults.

Are our manufacturers being honest with us?

Reddit users have recently claimed that Innoken may be doing a bit of a bait-and-switch with the cells in their batteries. specifically with the cell in the iTaste VV V3.0

Innokens product page  clearly lists the battery capacity as 800 mAh

however, the user photograph posted on Reddit shows what looks to be a Shenzhen Mai Ke Technology 680 mAh cell

before we go any further... disclosure time. I am in no way affiliated with either Innoken or the Reddit user making the claim. I do, however, own an Innoken iTaste 134.

Now, this is not the first time that reddit has seen an accusation of manufacturer dishonesty. I've seen this come up a number of times even in the relativly short time I've been vaping and using the electronic cigarette related subreddits, and this highlights an important issue for vaping.

Lets take a step back for a moment and consider the ongoing attempts to regulate, or even ban, electronic cigarettes as tobacco products. With the exception of disposables, electronic cigarettes, mods, and personal vaporizers are not tobacco products, while arguably the e-juice is. The distinction is important, because if the device is deemed to be a tobacco product, then vaping anything, even nicotine free juice is going to be treated, and regulated, and banned, as if it were tobacco use. Unfortunatly our politicians are having a hard time distinguishing between technology and tobacco.

Treating all electronic cigarettes as tobacco products would be somewhat like treating all bottled beverages as beer...

So what does this have to do with uncertainty about our hardware manufacturers?

Here's the thing, if we are to have any hope of fighting regulations that could cripple vaping, we need to convince the politicians, the public, and the media that vaping does not pose a public health risk, one part of accomplishing that is to show that our juice makers and hardware manufacturers are transparent about the materials going into their products, and that we, the consumers, know what we are buying and using. We can't convincingly argue that vaping is safer than smoking if we can't even confidently speak about our vaping hardware.

in short, we need to show that the vaping industry can self regulate, and can do it better than the FDA. Our part in that? We need to hold our vendors and manufaturers to a high standard. If they are not being honest with us, if they are not being transparent about what's in their products, and how they are made, and do right by their customers then we need to spend our money elsewhere.

This is a great opportunity for Innoken to lead the way by speaking out on the issue and demonstrating open and transparent communications with their consumers. If it turns out that their products don't live up to the advertized speifications Innoken needs to update their product to match the specs and to make things right with their customers. Let's call on Innoken to recall anything with lower than spec batteries and offer either refunds for or replacements for affected products.

UPDATE:

Innoken has responded here here

"Hi Everyone. I have recieved an update from George and he has asked me to post on Reddit in regards to this thread.

George said that this question has been brought up quite a few times and we will make an official response here and also have the response posted on our new official website.

The iTaste VV3.0 Battery is a high rate discharge battery and not a normal 3.5V. On this battery the 680mAh is the battery capacity when maximum electric current is reached however when a smaller electric current is used then the battery capacity is extended and is 800mAh.

The example they provided me with is, for example, when the voltage is 5V and if you use at 1.5 Ohm Clearomizer, it will use a larger electric current. When you use a 2.1 oHM Clearomizer (provided standard with the iTaste VV3.0) then the electric current is smaller and the battery capacity is 800mAh. The mold for for the battery is 800mAh but with the high drain the suppliers labelled the batteries as 680mAh.

If you have any questions about this, or if I have misunderstood the explanation, please let me know and we will continue this thread with the Innokin engineers. Thank you.

Edit: I have shared this thread with the team in China. When I am back in China with them we will be able to respond to questions properly.

As George said the molds of the batteries ARE 800mAh. It is something about the supplier labeling and the high drain that is in question. My misunderstanding of the explanation may be the cause of confusion. George did state the molds are all 800mAh.

I apologize I am not able to offer more insight at this time. As comments in this thread have pointed out I am a marketer and writer and my job focus is bringing information and requests from this, and other communities, directly to Innokin."

A Call to Action!

How silly is this? I’m posting a call to action on a blog that isn’t even a day old yet… as if it will have some huge impact right? But that’s not the point. The point is, that if even one person sees this and is motivated to take action to support the vaping community and industry, it will be worth the minor effort to post this here.

AB 1500: An act to add Section 22963.5 to the Business and Professions Code relating to electronic cigarettes.

The latest bill text can be read here.

While the bill has been amended to no longer ban online sales outright, and additional amendments are in the works, it will sill impose a substantial hardship on vendors and consumers.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 14^th, 2014 at 9:00 am at the Capitol building in Sacramento (Room 4202). If you can, show up! The more people that the Assembly Appropriations Committee sees supporting the vaping community and vendors, the more seriously they will take us. So put on your job interview clothes and come out to oppose AB 1500 by attending the hearing on Wednesday, May 14^th 2014.

More on why we should oppose AB 1500 later… for now, the day job demands my attention.

The Vapes of Wrath - a beginning.

To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the hard earth. The plows crossed and recrossed the rivulet marks. The last rains lifted the corn quickly and scattered weed colonies and grass along the sided of the roads so that the gray country and the dark red country began to disappear under a green cover. In the last part of May the sky grew pale and the clouds that had hung in high puffs for so long in the spring were dissipated. The sun flared down on the growing corn day after day until a line of brown spread along the edge of each green bayonet. The clouds appeared, and went away, and in a while they did not try any more. The weed grew darker green to protect themselves, and they did not spread any more. The surface of the earth crusted, a thin hard crust, and as the sky became pale, so the earth became pale, pink in the red country and white in the gray country.

We don’t have it nearly as bad as the Joad family in Steinbeck’s well known novel, and I’m not going to sit here doing mental gymnastics in an attempt to force some parallel between the vaping community today and tenant farmers during the great depression. I just couldn't resist the name.

So what is The Vapes of Wrath?  Well, today it’s nothing. Nothing, that is, except this introduction. What it will become is a place for thoughts and observations on vaping and the legal challenges that our community is facing.  Armchair activism, which isn't to say that I’m just going to sit back in my chair and gripe about things, Sacramento is only about 60 miles from my home, so I’ll be making the trip whenever there is an opportunity to speak, or even just be seen at the Capitol opposing any bill that attempts to limit or ban vaping.  But I lack focus… (I’m going to claim that what little focus I may have had in the past, along with a fair bit of my sanity, is continually being eroded by my children) so I’ll probably also comment about products and vendors and, well, anything else that either piques my interest or gets under my skin.

I am, etc.,

     S.F.