Why Vape? Volume #1.

“Why should I vape?” It’s a legitimate question to ask yourself about the habit before you pick it up. It’s probably not a question you asked yourself before that first drag, but by then it was too late. But now, and we’ve proven it ex-smoker after ex-smoker, it’s not too late.

Reason #1: Life.

Everything we discuss in this blog post, and the following posts months down the road, will get more specific about certain facets of life that vaping will help improve. This post, though, is all about living longer.

Fact from thetruth.com:

1 in 3 smokers who begin smoking in their youth will die from cigarette related health issues.

Why vape?

Decades into this habit you’re not going to change, and we’re not asking you to. We’re not asking you to give up your habit of inhaling and exhaling, moving your hand to your mouth, or even consuming nicotine. It’s just not plausible for the majority of us.

What we’re asking you to do is vape, and quit consuming all but one of the hundreds of chemicals produced when you smoke cigarettes. It’s an easy equation to put into play. Fewer chemicals = more years.

Fact from thetruth.com:

Over 200,000 smokers were estimated to have been diagnosed with lung cancer attributed to tobacco consumption.

Why vape?

The main chemical used to produce e-liquids, propylene glycol, has been extensively studied by the EPA and FDA. The reason for these studies were the mass induction of fog machines by stage performances in the late 20^th century, and the concerned individuals who wanted to make sure they weren’t getting a side of poison with their live tunes.

What it boils down to is you not inhaling smoke, but vapor. Your lungs will thank you for not putting cancer into them.

Fact from thetruth.com:

By 2020, if current trends of tobacco use stay the same, an estimated 7 million people will die worldwide, per year.

Why vape?

So we can stop this trend cold in its tracks. We don’t have to continue a trend of addicts headed for early graves. We can spend more time with our children and grandchildren, ensuring that they don’t make the same mistakes we did when we were young, and breaking the chain.

- The Vape Shop

Banning nicotine won’t keep kids safe. Good parenting will.

It’s been a more common issue these days than not, that we recues parents of responsibility for what their children encounter in this world, and blame the entities that provide certain products or services for the lack of parental oversight. Kid crashes a bike without a helmet? Blame the bicycle company. Child is unhealthy because of their diet? It must be the fault of the fast food restaurant. Boys and girls failing finishing their homework and falling behind in school? It must be the instructors fault.

Our industry, being a newer industry, has been open to much greater scrutiny for the issues faced by consumer of nicotine juice. And to an extent, rightfully so. Wouldn’t you be worried if poison cases in your industry increased by 219% year-over-year? Of course! And we are too. That’s why we’re writing.

First, let’s clear something up about nicotine poisoning. It’s not going to kill you. It’s not going to kill you kids. It’s not going to kill anyone. It may make a human sick, woozy, and incredibly uncomfortable, but they’re going to live. Yes, even the little ones.

Second, an increase of 219% is an increase to only a couple of hundred cases a year. It’s not a pandemic, regardless what certain legislators and media outlets would like you to believe. Your kids are thousands of times more likely to get the flu than they are to be poisoned by your e-juice, and some of the symptoms are pretty similar.

Third, now that we have a general idea of the sickness associated with nicotine poisoning, let’s debunk the big misconception: How it’s happening. Nicotine poisoning is not something that is going to occur via vaping. The amount of nicotine vapor a person will have to ingest to become poisoned by the vapor is astounding. Keep in mind, many of the people who’ve switched to vaping smoked packs of cigarettes a day.

So then how’re people, kids included, getting poisoned? They’re ingesting straight e-juice out of the bottle. That’s how. Kids are getting a hold of bottles that are not properly secured, and as we know, not every grown up person makes grown up decisions.

Well, Mr. Vape Shop, what’s the solution to the minuet increase in nicotine poisonings then, if you’re so clever?

Good question!

The solution to the increase in nicotine poisonings is to store your juices in the same places you should be storing your medicines, out of the reach of children! And maybe hidden from otherwise less thoughtful adults.

But that’s not it. We understand that without regulation, some juice makers make subpar bottles that can be accessed by younger people that shouldn’t be allowed access. They’re what we call “Chinese Juices”, because they’re made in China. If you want a secondary security measure to keep your kids safe, aside from putting your nicotine juice in a place out of the reach of children, buy juices made here in the United States. You’re going to get a quality juice, and another safety mechanism to keep your kids safe!

Think it through, and act accordingly. At the end of the day, you need to be responsible for your actions and decisions.

Sincerely,

The Vape Shop

Is what I'm putting in my mouth (and lungs) safe!?

Yes, it is. It's Propylene Glycol. Please understand, that not being scientists, the best thing for us to do is copy and paste a bunch of snippets from other websites to ensure your comfort in ingesting e-liquids.

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol

Propylene glycol is considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is used as anhumectant (E1520), solvent, and preservative in food and for tobacco products, as well as being one of the major ingredients of the "e-liquid" used in electronic cigarettes along with vegetable glycerin. Vaporizers used for delivery of pharmaceuticals or personal care products often include propylene glycol among the ingredients they are filled with.[4] Propylene glycol is used as a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations, such as for diazepam and lorazepam which are insoluble in water.[7]

Serious toxicity generally occurs only at plasma concentrations over 1 g/L, which requires extremely high intake over a relatively short period of time.[20] It would be nearly impossible to reach toxic levels by consuming foods or supplements, which contain at most 1 g/kg of PG. Cases of propylene glycol poisoning are usually related to either inappropriate intravenous administration or accidental ingestion of large quantities by children.[21] The potential for long-term oral toxicity is also low. In one study, in 1972, 12 rats were provided with feed containing as much as 5% PG over a period of 104 weeks and they showed no apparent ill effects; no data on offspring was offered.[22] Because of its low chronic oral toxicity, propylene glycol was classified by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) for use as a direct food additive, including frozen foods such as ice cream and frozen desserts.[23]

From The FDA: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/REDs/propylene_glycol_red.pdf

"Upon reviewing the available toxicity information, the [Environmental Protection] Agency has concluded that there are no endpoints of concern for oral, dermal, or inhalation exposure to propylene glycol and dipropylene glycol."

From V2 E-Cigs: http://www.v2cigs.com/blog/2012/01/what-is-propylene-glycol/

-Propylene glycol is a clear, colorless, slightly syrupy liquid at room temperature. It may exist in air in the vapor form, although propylene glycol must be heated or briskly shaken to produce a vapor

-Propylene glycol is practically odorless and tasteless

-Propylene glycol is a chemical made by reaction of propylene oxide with water

From The Vape Shop:

Like we said, we're no scientists, so we don't want to offer you the metabolic breakdown of the chemical and and look silly. What we do want you to understand through all of this mumbo jumbo is that what we sell, and what retailers across the world sell, is safe for human consumption.

Some folks have sensitivities, just like there are folks who are lactose intolerant, but that doesn't make the liquid in its digestible form unsafe.

So be happy, and vape on!

Staying honest on industry.

Not too long ago we appeared in several different news outlets offering our opinions on different aspects of the vaping industry. We've addressed the positive side of our industry, mainly saving and prolonging lives through reduced tobacco consumption, and we've addressed the less favorable side of our industry, including its newness in relation to government regulation.

Now, down here in Southern Illinois, we're just as fond of our liberty and freedoms as anyone else, so when government wants to step in and begin regulating an industry it doesn't understand for "Fear of the children", we've got cause for concern.

Much like the video game industry self-regulates to ensure those too young to partake of certain parts of their industry do not, the vape industry acts the same. Vape-specific shops do everything they can to weed out underage consumers and ensure that vapor, whether with nicotine or without, does not find its way into the hands, lungs, and mouths of those younger than 18 years of age.

While many media outlets have focused on vape-specific shops, who derive 90% of their revenue or greater from selling vaping-related retail items, the bigger concern for those in the industry who care about its integrity is non-specific retailers. Think gas stations, tobacco shops, and other entities that sell other merchandise not related to vaping.

Without regulation, and with an eye on the bottom line, products that should not find their way into youngsters hands just might. With that concept in mind, we support regulation of our industry within reason.

But what's reasonable? Well, let's take some cues from both the tobacco and the alcohol industry.

Taking a cue from the tobacco industry as far as age restrictions are concerned, let's make e-juices, e-cigs, and other vapor accessories legally inaccessible to those under the age of 18. And taking a cue from the alcohol industry, let us determine how our marketing message reaches adult consumers 18 years of age or older. Because, as it turns out, we're not selling a harmful product, just one that is misunderstood.

We'll address that in the next blog, though.