Corporate Ecigs- Big Brother Finally Comes Knocking

Blu, the leading e-cigarette in the USA today has been bought by Lorillard.

From the standpoint of the research and presence of this brand in the hands of a corporate giant that is well versed in dealing with the ramifications of FDA think speak, this is a potential ally in the making.  I heard many things positive, neutral and negative diatribes about this on various talk shows and in the halls of FB:

• This is a potential boon to the THR movement and will look to do the research to help prove once and for all that there is a significant Harm Reduction with e-cigarettes.
• The market to cigarette users will expand and there could be more people vaping than there will be smoking.
• From a humanitarian standpoint and THR, this is a potential vector to help combustible nicotine users change to vaping.

There was also the neutrals who expressed the usual vaping as usual rhetoric:

• They are just another player, there should be no fear.
• We will just DIY and get our juices and nicotine from China.
• We are a small part of the market, why should they care.
• It won't happen for 3-5 years anyway.

Well let us read the Lorillard take on this experience:

"blu ecigs is the best-selling e-cigarette brand, with the look and feel of traditional cigarettes – without the tobacco
smoke, ash, or smell. blu ecigs is the market leader in providing innovative technology for an improved consumer
experience that enhances the enjoyment and social aspect of e-cigarettes. blu ecigs will be a separate operating
company of Lorillard and it is Lorillard’s intention to retain blu ecigs’ current management team and its
headquarters in Charlotte, NC."

“blu ecigs are the perfect adjacency for us to participate in the smokeless market, but in a Lorillard way. That is, e-cigarettes offer many of the benefits of other smokeless products but do so in a way that is familiar and enjoyed by current adult cigarette consumers,” said Murray Kessler. “We believe that blu will benefit from Lorillard Tobacco Company's regulatory experience and sales infrastructure which are needed for it, and the category, to reach its potential in a responsible manner." (http://www.lorillard.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Q1-2012-Earnings-Release_FINAL.pdf, page 3).

Well Lorillard benefited:

Then there was the other faction:

• Squeeze out of the market, through price or regulation, our current venders.
• One company is in bed with BT, so now we all are there.
• It will draw people who don't get the satisfaction from Blu to the mod and juice venders
• We as vapers are officially associated with BT and as such are linked with the terrorism, lies, underhanded behaviors and become a link in the timeline of corruption.

And then there are the benefactors of smoking:

• Antz and their causes, what will this do to their activity.
• If the population becomes healthier, what will happen to the ALA and other lung and cancer research groups.
• Big Pharma won't have the clout it once had in cessation.
• Tax revenues from analog cigs will drop and if this is a Harm Reduction agent the taxation on them should decrease to make them more attractive.

More importantly there is a real possibility that there will be a complete paradigm shift in the perception of THR.  Vaping becomes the means to a decline in health risk (speculative and as of yet not FDA approved) with more public awareness- the Medium is the Message.

So what is this marriage- blissful and invigorating or another strike against vaping freedom?

Only time will tell.

Personally, I have my doubts and feel the time for all vapers to unite as a force to continue to show that there is a place for the individual. 

Every person grab your mods and ready them, two if by land and one if by sea, the corporations are coming and we need to be organized for our rights. 

And now there are two BT companies in the field.

How does the world of vaping react to the move by Lorillard as it purchases a well distributed  e-cigarette company Blu (which has a patent)?

There seems to be a significant apathy mixed with fear of the unknown.  This is somewhat typical of many of the legislative fights and the FDA involvement; there is either an aggressive and informed action to be proactive or there is denial.  The CASAA's of the vaping world have been the front line for advocacy in tobacco harm reduction.  This is a devoted group that has been the forefront of the keep smokeless tobacco's existence and vital importance viable in the battle against the diseases of smoke delivery nicotine products.  The role and place they go from here is one that will be vital to the framing of the vaping options available to consumers in the next years.

This is to me a mixed blessing.  Finally there is a player in the field that will push forward the research and hopefully will allow the addition of harm reduction product to e-cigarettes.  Unfortunately this depends on the approach of the BT company as it does its studies and the FDA's interpretation of the data.  Lorillard may show that vaping is safer and a harm reduction method or they may say "their" e-cigarette. patent number XXXXXXXX is safer and leave the process of vaping out of the equation.  This would leave us on the event horizon of the vaping black hole.

It is my opinion that there is no trust that needs to be given to Lorillard.  There is no financial reason for them to do anything except that which would put their product in a marketable and FDA approved safer cigarette.  In fact it is in their best interest to exclude the Provari, Silver Bullet and GLV-2 manufacturers products from their research model and implicitly state that this data is only relevant to their product. This scenario is also identical for e-liquid manufacturers.

What concerns are important to address:

• Is this a WalMart like phenomena with the larger and more efficient company with a high profit motive entering the market at the expense of the little guy and his or her product line.
• Big and profitability means that there is no need to diversify product line.  There will be no incentive for the creativity of the small manufacturer.
• Will this mean pre-filled cartridges of limited taste type with connectors that are patented and not adaptable to the current atty's and carto's available.
• Price will be up and taxation yet to be determined.
• At present there is a fairly well known population of products available for the majority of vapers.  With the introduction of a possibly regulated product the mods, juices and equipment we know now will or at least could be forced into a black market like setting and with that there is a loss of the 1:1 contacts we as vapers have and trust.
• BT has a history of divisive and extremely close to the vest and proprietary tactics.  What is the motivation for this to change?
• Do we want to have BT in control of vaping and therefore lose the intimacy of the current vendor population.
• Can we trust the FDA to act in the best interest of the vaper?  The idea that one (and there will be more) generic delivery system with non-refillable product is easier to regulate is not conducive to the time and expense of allowing the current vendors to continue; the variety of delivery systems and liquids will each need to be monitored and regulated.

I myself am concerned that this is the end of vaping as we know it, and I don't feel fine.  Whether the current vendors can band together as a force and approach this as a team is yet to be seen.

We shall see the outcome. 

It might be getting close to loading up on DIY supplies, extra mods and bricks of cartos time.  But it is not that time yet.

Take off the blinders and realize this is big corporations entering the marketplace and they are not consumer friendly, they are brand friendly. 

Personally, my GLV-2 and DIY, Boge cartos and protected batteries would rather fight than switch.