Politicians can tax sin, but not medicine.

The FDA has ruled that propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, food flavorings, and nicotine are all safe for human consumption. The FDA currently regulates all of these items, including nicotine, as part of their broad function of regulating what we put into our bodies. The only odd-man-out in this bunch of components is nicotine.

As we’ve discussed before, propylene glycol is used as a drug delivery system for many creams and all nebulizers on the market. Vegetable glycerin and food flavorings are regulated as food additives and stabilizers. Nicotine, however, is only regulated when used for “smoking cessation” purposes.

The reason for this was once a single fold issue, being that nicotine is a common component in pesticide, and to regulate it beyond the realm of “smoking cessation” would force the FDA to overreach into the bounds of the US Department of Agriculture.

The second fold is now the admittance of vaping as a form of smoking cessation.

You see, if the FDA steps in and is required to study the effects of vaping they’re going to study the reasons why, the results of, and the health impact from vaping. This includes, but is not limited to, smoking cessation.

So, why is it so scary that the FDA look into vaping as a form of smoking cessation? It’s not for the everyday commoner like you and I, but instead, our elected officials in state and federal office who are fearful of losing tax revenue generated by current tobacco users.

To tax vaping and e-cigarettes like standard tobacco (we’ve not seen anyone use the term “analogue” in a while, so we’re gonna try and bring that back), you have to prove its harmful and detrimental impact on society as a whole. It’s easy to prove with tobacco, but much harder to prove with vaping, for two reasons:

First, it’s hard to prove that vaping should receive what are essentially sin taxes because it’s not any more harmful than drinking soda with caffeine in it.

Second, if it’s proven to have significant health benefits as a form of smoking cessation, then vaping builds an image similar to that of nicotine gum and patches, which are medicine.

So, FDA, we encourage you to go beyond your currently regulation of e-liquid components, and research and regulate all four components of e-liquid in the state that they are combined. We’re ready to once-and-for-all put an end to this political babble bullshit and move on with a healthier, happier, far less harmful lifestyle.

Companies Doing Business the Right Way!

Recently we began having trouble with the bottles from one of our e-liquid suppliers, High Caliber. We’ve got to say, Richard and his crew are fantastic at what they do and hold their production and facilities to a high standard. They don’t just use the name High Caliber, they earn it.

So, when the tips on bottles began to break, we gave the High Caliber crew a shout. Immediately they stopped production for a quality control check and to fix the issue. Not only did they stop their manufacturing process to perform integral quality control checks, they accepted 90% of our current inventory (we kept some in stock because we needed to) and got us a replacement stock.

This isn't the only aspect of e-liquid manufacturing in which High Caliber is truly a leader. They've also created a topnotch facility that keeps the outside contamination to a near zero-sum. From masks and respirators, to positively pressurized production facilities, everything that High Caliber does is correct.

It’s not just correct by personal and e-liquid manufacturing standards, either.

The International Standards Organization, or ISO for short, is a non-government organization that sets forth standards to “give world-class specifications for products, services and systems, to ensure quality, safety and efficiency.” They have standards, practices, and measurements that allow companies to build cleanrooms for manufacturing of any product that could be impacted by biocontaminates. In this case, the product that could be impacted by biocontaminates is the e-liquid.

There are simple but effective ways for e-liquid manufacturers to keep biocontaminates from infiltrating the product they’re producing.

First, the clean practices of those who produce the liquid. Much like individuals in medical fields, those producing e-liquid should be wearing clean clothing such as lab coats and scrubs, clean footwear, and in our industry’s case, respirators. External items, such as a sticky foot pad outside of a cleanroom, will ensure that biocontaminates do not enter the room with the producers.

Second, the positive pressurization of the manufacturing facilities keeps biocontaminates from infiltrating the room and getting into the e-liquid. So, what is positive pressurization, you may as?

From Wikipedia:

Positive pressure is a pressure within a system that is greater than the environment that surrounds that system. Consequently if there is any leak from the positively pressured system it will egress into the surrounding environment.


Basically, all it means is that the pressure inside of the cleanroom environment is greater than the pressure outside of the cleanroom environment, and thus, whenever physical items are introduced into the cleanroom environment, air particles with possible biocontaminates are not. Only clean air can get out, but dirty air cannot get in.

Third is the introduction and sanitation of contact devices. These pieces of manufacturing equipment are qualified to handle production of materials in a clean environment and can be sanitized to bring the level of biocontaminates within a cleanroom down to a specified level.

Using these standards to create a cleanroom environment is what the FDA is going to require of the e-liquid manufacturing facility, among many other items on their regulatory agendas. Working with companies who are ahead of these standards and who have implemented these practices since their inception helps keep the quality of products flowing out of brick and mortar vape shops at the highest caliber.

Highest caliber. See what we did there?

Navigating an Increasingly Political "Vapescape"

There has been plenty written about the faux experiments put on by a group of PhDs out of Portland State University. The conditions under which the experiment was performed, and the results, were rather far from real-world scenarios. They were performed by researchers who failed to report on all variables, or even assess that there were more variables.

From ecigarette-research.com:

“According to the Reddit post and author’s email, the atomizer had a resistance of 2.1 Ohms. This means that at 3.3 volts, the energy delivery was about 5.5 watts and at 5 volts it was 12 watts. It is more than obvious that the findings of very high levels of formaldehyde are a result of overheating. Lack of experience on e-cigarettes and no contact with vapers can result in such erroneous and unrealistic results, which can create confusion and misinformation both in the scientific community and among users and potential users of e-cigarettes. Finally, it is extremely important that every study evaluating vapor chemistry from e-cigarettes should mention in detail the equipment used.”

The technical point has been argued, so we’re not going to continue to beat on that. What we’d like to talk about in this blog is navigating the political landscape surrounding vaping, and how you (from average Joe to advanced vaper) should be prepared to handle the debate and help to share knowledge with others.

For those uninterested in the politics, there’s no reason you should push yourself into the conversation. It’s your vice, and you’re welcome to share your opinion or withhold from discussion. Don’t let someone push you otherwise.

For those of you, however, who are would like to participate in the debate and would like to continue to inform others about the reality of vaping, read on!

Whether liberal or conservative, your personal politics should not play into your discussion with others about vaping. Instead, let the values of vaping play to the political audience you’re communicating with. Whether discussing the job creation brought on by the industry boom or the positive viewpoint some vapers may have of e-cigarettes in regards to health and well-being, there is a talking point that appeals to just about any position on the political spectrum. Just make sure your talking points stay pro-vape!

Along the road on this new and exciting journey, you may also find yourself agreeing with media you often think wrong, and disagreeing with media you may often think correct. For example, if you’re a CNN support and notice that CNN is speaking of the latest studies in a positive light, you’re welcome to disagree with what they discern as “truth.” Conversely, if you do not often agree with the media produced by FOX News, but see that they are accurately supporting vaping with facts, while dispelling vaping rumors and myths, you’re welcome to accept their reporting and use it to support your vaping discussions.

Take mind that media politics don’t just occur at the higher levels. Many of the conversations start at the local level. Plenty of hype comes from your local TV station or newspaper looking for the shock story of the day. When you see reporting like this is when you’re most valuable as an educated vaper. Find ways to share in your local news conversation, logging onto social media to discuss vaping matters further with a broader audience. Be polite and be concise to ensure you are well-received by others in your communications. Don’t be afraid to disagree with local outlets you may otherwise agree with. Just because they get it wrong sometimes, doesn’t mean they’re always wrong, and as an informed citizen regarding the subject matter it is not unreasonable for you to participate in a newsworthy conversation.

What, where, and with whom you chose to discuss and/or not discuss vaping politics is up to you. All you need do is stay truthful in your support of vaping, and take the political conversation for face value.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2015 is now here, and with a New Year comes some New Year resolutions. Some folks are going to want to lose weight, others are going to want to save money, and for many, there’s the pledge to quit using tobacco.

As with all of our communications, we can’t market our products as a smoking cessation device because at this time they’re considered only recreational, much like the tobacco many folks currently consume. Regardless of the nicotine e-liquids can provide to tobacco users who crave the chemical, or that there is a very similar fulfillment of oral fixation provided by the physical motions of vaping, we have not read conclusive scientific evidence to say that e-cigarettes help people quit smoking. We can only hope that there is some on the way.

What can help you quit smoking in 2015, though, is becoming part of a larger anti-tobacco community. This we know for a fact, that an important part of ridding your life of tobacco is having people there to help you in that fight. Having folks to talk to and share your stresses with is something we see help users of all kinds reduce their dependencies on drugs (and make no mistake, nicotine and other chemicals are drugs). Much like people who are addicted to and abuse other substances, tobacco users need support systems in place to ensure that, when they decide to quit, they can stay on the right track.

In 2015, stay on the right track with us. Whether or not you’d like to involve vaping in your resolution to quit using tobacco isn’t as much a concern to us as you quitting tobacco. If all that takes is having some honest, caring, and concerned individuals to talk to, then our doors are always open to you.

-The Vape Shop