Other non-tobacco nicotine products on the market. What parents need to know, part 4

Besides cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipes, hookah, and vaping products that will deliver nicotine, there are other non-tobacco products you need to be made aware.

Zyn is a tobacco-free nicotine pouch that comes in several flavors such as cool mint, spearmint, wintergreen, peppermint, cinnamon and coffee and in two strengths, 3mg or 6mg.  There is no spitting.  One site had a container of 15 pouches for $5 while eBay had them for about $10 plus shipping.

 

Another tobacco-free product is called Fully Loaded and you use it like you would any dip product.  It comes in chew or pouches and flavors include wintergreen, mint, bourbon, berry, peach, classic and cherry, with three different strengths.  The website and the cans do not tell you how much nicotine is in the product.  It is under $5/can.

Nicotine can also be delivered through toothpicks, and there are several products on the market.  Pixotine bills itself as the “original nicotine toothpick” and is based in Jupiter, Florida.  A pack of 15 picks is about $6/pack.  They claim one pack of Pixotine is equivalent to 1 pack of cigarettes, 1 can of dip, 1 can of snus, or 1 electronic cigarette cartridge.  Each pack is 3.0mg nicotine per toothpick.  Their site says “nicotine can transmit its effects through contact with the skin and absorption through the mouth.” It takes from 1 to 15 minutes for the first effects to be felt and is designed to last from 10 minutes to 1 hour.  The ad on the right is from Instagram and is for the month of June.  Easy for kids to use in class or at home and no one would know. One journalist said he found them “shockingly strong” and he got a buzz from them.

This product is called Smart Toothpicks and contains 3mg of nicotine each.  It comes in three flavors: cinnamon, peppermint ice, and wintergreen.  It does say on the package you must be legal age for nicotine purchase.  A pack of 20 nicotine picks is about $7.00.

 

Another toothpick product is Zippix.  They come in mocha, cinnamon, and mint-melon (or peppermint/watermelon). Each pack has 20 picks with 2mg of nicotine per pick.  A pack of 20 is about $6/pack.  A flavor bundle of 60 picks is about $15 and gives you 20 picks of the three flavors.  A large bundle of 100 goes for $20, but you can also get bundles up to 500 picks.  Two other flavors, spice island clove and sweet whisky only come in large bundle packs.

Some products are approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids, such as nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges.  These can be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription.  Lozenges and gum come in 2mg and 4mg strengths while the transdermal system (patches) is 14mg.  These products haven’t been tested for use in teens.

We have provided a number of products for parents and teachers to see, and hope it helps them understand what the tobacco/nicotine industry has on the market, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.  According to Tobacco 101: A Guide to Working with Nicotine Addicted Patients, it takes approximately 5 cigarettes or 4-6 mg of nicotine to reach the threshold of addiction.  Some teens are more susceptible to nicotine addiction than others, but understand this, it is not a right-of-passage.   Nicotine is highly addictive and may be one of the toughest drugs to quit without help.  If you suspect your child of using tobacco or nicotine, talk to them about the dangers and seek help through your family doctor.

Vaping devices you wouldn’t expect – What parents need to know, part 3

Vaping devices come in all shapes, colors and sizes.  If you saw these next devices, you might not even know they were used for vaping.  Students can easily use them in the class or at home and teachers and parents may not be the wiser.  Not all these vaping products are for e-liquids.  Before we go on you need to know that while Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment in 2016 to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, recreational vaping of cannabis is still illegal.  It is therefore important for schools to check the oils and devices to know if they contain nicotine or cannabis.

This slim vaporizer can be used for CBD, CO2 and other thinner oils.  One end you draw from and the other end is a stylus (left).  Easy to fool teachers and parents, especially when the tank portion, on the top, is removed.  Slim mini stylus starter kits are pictured on the right.  You unscrew the top part and plug the bottom part (which holds the battery) into the charger.

So what is an asthma inhaler doing here?  The device on the left is a forced air vaporizer used for “dry herbs.”  While we usually don’t report on cannabis in our blogs, kids are now using it on school campuses and it is something teachers and parents need to be made aware of. This device is called Puffit.  Some of these devices will allow you to also use concentrates.  Rather than “flashing LEDs, it will vibrate to let you know what is happening with the unit.”  It is much more expensive than other vaping devices, about $100 and up.  Since middle and high school students are allowed to have inhalers with them in class, how can you tell if it is the real thing?  A true inhaler will have medical information written on the inserted part that sticks out of the device at the top (right).  The Puffit device has its name on the mouthpiece cover.

If you go to a website and they discuss “discreet vape pens,” they are probably referring to devices that allow you to use cannabis in wax or dab form, although you can find fairly inexpensive dry, combustion pens.  Some look like a regular vaping device, like the Airis MW pod kit on the right, while others look like a writing instrument, like the iFocus pens on the left.  No matter which one you decide to purchase, it will cost about $25 from this site, but other sites may be cheaper.

The dry vape pens, on the left, look like a chunky writing pen.  As the name implies, you use dry material in the device.  This model is one of the least expensive at $18 but other models can run are as high as $670.  The largest models wouldn’t be considered “discreet” and are for home use, but the link above will allow you to see what is on the market.

 

These aren’t colored pencils, they are disposable E-Hookah pen vapes and each provides about 600 puffs.  They are about $6 each, and come in 11 flavors.  This particular product claims to be nicotine-free.  Other similar products have between 500-700 puffs.  Some state they are nicotine free, others are vague in the description.

 

There are now vape pens for you to inhale essential oils.  Two companies that offer these products are VitaStik and Monq, and use such phrases as therapeutic, organic, pure, safe, holistic and wellness on their websites.  These pods contain essential oils, vegetable glycerin and water, and produce clouds of vapor similar to a regular vape pen, but don’t have nicotine.  Are they safe?  Would you really want to inhale any type of oil into your lungs?  While people have their own opinions, “there is no scientific research” to back up claims of safety.  Not all vape pens heat the liquid up to a high heat, but some do.  Vegetable glycerin, used in these products and found in many standard, nicotine products, changes into a substance known as acrolein when exposed to heat over 536 degrees F.  It is very irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, stomach and skin, and is known as a carcinogen.”  Whether you vape essential oils or a nicotine product, if your device uses vegetable glycerin and heats to a high temperature,  it is producing a by-product that is cancer-causing.

Finally, what else is out there?

 

Juul isn’t the only product out there – What parents need to know, part 2

Underage teens have made the Juul the most popular vaping product on the market, taking 75% of the market share.  It is easy to conceal, easy to use as there is no filling required, and is apparently what you need to be cool in school.  But other vaping devices hold more liquid and are more popular among people over 18.

The Suorin Air is an open pod system, and popular with college-aged kids.  According to the website, it is “ultra-compact, smaller than a credit card (but not as flat), as slim as an iPhone 7, and fits easily into your pocket.”  It has a refillable pod (open system) that connects to the battery pack and has an on-off switch.  Just inhale to activate it.  The starter kit prices vary from under $20 to almost $30 depending on the website, and you can purchase skins to customize the look.  Additional replacement pods are between $4-$5 and they suggest you replace them after a few refills.  You can refill the pod about five times or use it between 1.5 and 3 weeks, depending on how hard you use it and what you put in it.  The Suorin Air holds 2.0ml of liquid or almost triple the capacity of the Juul cartridge of 0.7ml, which they claim gives you about 200 puffs.  The picture on the left is from suorinvape.com.

Another popular product from Suorin is the Drop.  It sort of looks like a highlighter and comes in several different colors (left).  A kit includes a 2ml refillable pod/cartridge, a USB cable and user manual.  Again, you will want to purchase additional pods.  Costs vary from about $20 to $30 for limited edition, pre-wrapped drops (right).

Smok Rolo Badge is a pod system with 2 – 2.0ml refillable cartridges in the kit.  You charge it with a micro USB and just inhale to activate it.  The pods will last 1-3 weeks depending on which flavors you use and how often you use it.  According to one site, some sweeter flavors may cause the coil to gum up quicker, but you can use any flavor and strength vape juice.

Of course there are other smaller devices out there, such as the 3-inch           Smok Novo that is about the same size as a lighter (left).  It is an open system with a 2.0mL pod tank; you need to purchase additional pods and your own liquid to fill.  A Novo Kit on Amazon goes for about $26 and 6 pc Novo replacement pods is about $26.  Some are slightly cheaper.  Skins are available to change out the look.  And then there is the Just Fog minifit on the right.  It is also just over 3 inches. The pod capacity is smaller at 1.5ml, but about double the size of the Juul pod.  The device is about $15 and each pod is about $8. Again you can customize the look with skins.

We have provided pictures and information about the various systems above in an effort to help parents and teachers understand what the kids are using. All the systems above will have a USB port for the charging cable and the top of each device comes off, so if you see things like this at home, you will understand.  We provided prices to help parents understand what their children are spending on vaping.  It doesn’t come cheap.

Next up…vaping devices you wouldn’t expect.

 

 

 

E-cigarette, Vaping and Nicotine products – What parents should know, part 1

When you think of vaping devices, the Juul seems to stick in people’s minds, and with good reason.  Between 2016 and 2017 the Juul e-cigarette has increased its sales 641%, and since then has grown to dominate the vaping industry and currently holds 75% of the market.  Nearly half (47%) of teens who tried it did so because their friends used it, and 29% said it was because of the fruity and sweet flavors.  While Juul is the device that kids seem to gravitate to most often, it’s not the only one out there, and truthfully, it’s an Fexpensive toy that isn’t good.  Some devices look like the Juul, some are smaller and easier to hide, while others allow kids to use more than just nicotine e-liquids.  And then there are products that many may not have heard of.  We hope that this guide helps parents and teachers.

The Boulder Rock is one such device.  It is about 4.8 inches long according to the company website, with a look similar to a Juul, but can be refilled making it more cost affective for the user.  It also charges using a USB.  They do suggest you use their e-liquid products and a starter kit includes one bottle of  liquid.  You don’t need to push a button to draw in vapor, and the product comes in black. And like the Juul, you can also buy sleeves or skins to customize it.

Other pod devices similar to the Juul and the Rock include: 
SMOK Infinix with 2 refillable pods (not filled – you supply the e-liquid)
PHIX, starter kit comes with 1 1.5mL pre-filled pod and the USB charger ($28).  A 4-pack of pods is about $23, but each pod will give about 400 puffs versus 200 with the Juul pod (0.7mL)
KWIT Stick comes with the device, 4 pre-filled nicotine salt pods, charging cable and 20mL syringe bottle.  You can purchase a 30mg or 50mg bottle of replacement liquid for pods, but the site did not sell empty pods.  Their web site describes the device “Juul on steroids.”
Uwell Caliburn comes in 6 colors, with 1 pod, a USB cable and a user manual.  The user will need to purchase liquid to fill the device and has a choice of nic salt juice in 3 flavors or juice of the week in varying degrees of nicotine from 0mg to 6mg.  You can also purchase 4 refillable replacement pods ($12.50) to fill and keep with you.

The picture to the left shows another four devices that are similar to Juul that weren’t mentioned above, and this link gives four more.  Some allow e-liquids of your choice, some use pre-filled pods, nic salts, or oil concentrates, or a combination.  The user will have to purchase additional pods or cartridges as the coils or wicks inside the pods will degrade with use.

A search of the web will give you other Juul-like devices, but teens will probably not do research and will instead use what their friends are using.

Next up…Juul isn’t the only product out there.

Tobacco “ads” on social media need to be eliminated

Facebook doesn’t allow cigarette or e-cigarette ads on their social media site, but that doesn’t stop kids from seeing other kids – so called “influencers” – posting pictures of themselves using the products.

Influencers are individuals who have a large following on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  Their pictures using products are real-time, looks genuine versus glossy pictures in a magazine, and they create a buzz in use without the company paying out millions of dollars toward advertising.  Companies get “free” advertising without the hassle of contracts and commitments, and can have these pictures posted on social media sites that otherwise don’t allow tobacco advertising.  But this practice is being looked at more closely with Juul stopping their practice last fall.

The FDA recently sent letters to four companies because their paid influencers didn’t “disclose the health and safety risks of vaping” and include warnings about nicotine and its addictiveness.  This type of marketing isn’t illegal, but companies must follow the rules set forth in August 2018 by the FDA.

Philip Morris most recently came under fire for using young influencers in other countries.  According to their company policy, they will not use “young celebrities or models who are or appear to be under the age of 25.”  Yet one influencer was called out for being a very young looking 21 year old,  Since then PMI has suspended all product-related digital influencer actions globally.”  While no laws were broken by these “ads,” it seems PMI went back on their promises to the FDA that they would only market to adult cigarette smokers and that none of their marketing would be to youth or people who never smoked cigarettes.

If the tobacco industry, and now the vaping industry, has taught us anything is that if there are rules, they will be broken.  And don’t even get us started on ethics.  It’s time for the 1970 tobacco advertising ban to be updated to include social media.

Click HERE for the article.

 

 

Trinkets and Trash May 2019

Summer time is around the corner and the tobacco companies are gearing up with their new sweepstakes and invitations for the season.  You probably won’t win any prizes, but the tobacco company already has by keeping you as a loyal customer.  Trinkets and Trash monitors the tobacco industry through their ads in publications, direct mail, email, and websites.  The tobacco industry is great on drawing their user’s emotions with absurd adverting and specific targeting of cultures.  These are just some of the ads from May.

That old red truck is back, this time in Winston’s summer ad, promoting a sweepstakes that runs through the end of July.  The tobacco company is the big winner.  You may not win one of the 5 big prizes or the 100 other prizes, but you will be able to continue your addiction to cigarettes with coupons.  If you sign up, be prepared to provide the last 4 digits of your social security number, your driver’s license number and your mobile phone number so you can receive a message to confirm your information and receive coupons through text messages.  Who approves these ads?  Did the advertisers not really look at the picture?  Who puts a guitar in the bed of a pickup, exposed to the elements?  And it is clear that at least four people are in the front seat which means no one is wearing a seat belt.  As for the motorcycle strapped incorrectly into the back of the bed, most people would be riding it rather than trucking it.

Commercial kick off for summer was Memorial Day weekend, and the tobacco industry wants to show you how patriotic they are by putting the American flag in their ads.  Cheyenne cigars make sure the colors are flying in their ad.  Do people know that these “cigars” are really flavored cigarettes wrapped in dark paper?  A quick search on the web shows you can get a carton of 200 for about $21, which is about a third of the cost of a carton of cigarettes.  It’s time to start calling these cigarette-like cigars what they really are…flavored cigarettes, and start taxing them as such.  Blu electronic cigarettes also thanked “those who have served and protect the nation we love.”  While our military members deserve our thanks, it would be better not to target them and hook them on nicotine products.

Since when does a real cigar add a filtered tip to the product?  Black and Mild is also pushing a shorter length.  Real cigars are rolled tobacco leaves, not crushed and shredded tobacco pieces.  Black and Mild “cigars” want users to upload pictures of themselves using their products.  Great way to advertise their product and influence youth without paying for models.  Again, not real cigars, but filtered cigarettes.  Isn’t it time for the FDA to crack down on manufacturers who are pushing flavored cigarettes in the guise of cigars?  Cheaper than cigarettes, but just as deadly.  Did you notice the warning label in the ad to the right mentions infertility and stillbirth, rather than cancer and heart disease?  They don’t want to scare potential customers with hard warning labels in publications or through their direct emails.  A quick check of B and M products on other websites show the harder hitting warning labels, but many sites show no warning labels at all.

Keeping prices low and labeling cigarettes as cigars are just two ways the tobacco industry keeps users hooked on nicotine and keeps them as customers.  In the specific ads mentioned above, the tobacco industry has targeted blacks and the military and played on emotions to grab their attention.  Who will they target next?

Click HERE to see the Trinkets and Trash newsletter.

 

World No Tobacco Day 2019

World No Tobacco Day is May 31, and this year’s theme is “tobacco and lung health.”  The day and the message helps to “raise awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure,” from cancer to chronic respiratory disease.  The damage caused by tobacco use is a worldwide problem and here are some of the numbers.

There are around 1.1 billion smokers in the world and every year tobacco kills at least 8 million people and millions more live with the diseases caused by tobacco.  Being exposed to secondhand smoke caused another 3.3 millions deaths in 2017: 1.5 million from chronic respiratory diseases; 1.2 million from cancer of the tracheal, bronchus and lung; and 600,000 from respiratory infections and tuberculosis.  And secondhand smoke claims the lives of more than 60,000 children under the age of 5 through lower respiratory infections.  But this doesn’t have to continue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to fight the tobacco epidemic by enforcing tobacco control actions, and reducing demand for tobacco through increased taxation, smoke-free places and help with quitting.  We can all start by protecting the health of our families and communities through education of the health harms of tobacco.  While many high-income countries, such as the U.S., have anti-tobacco measures in place and the means to fight the tobacco epidemic, low-income countries can fight tobacco though implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

According to the WHO recommendations, e-cigarettes should follow the same guidelines set for tobacco products, such as protection from secondhand vapor, and advertising of these products should be regulated.  While the vaping industry claims they are less harmful, we really don’t know the full extent of the future health conditions.

Click HERE and HERE for more information.

 

 

Vaping isn’t as safe as kids think

Kids vape because they believe it is safer than smoking, after all, that is what the vaping industry has told them.  We know what smoking cigarettes will do to the body, but what impact does vaping have on the body and what really worries the researchers?  Is it really safer?

The Juul brand seems to be what most kids are using and it has a very high dose of nicotine.  The flavors most commonly purchased by youth have 0.7mL with 5% nicotine by weight.  Juul has even admitted that one of its pods equals a pack of cigarettes worth of nicotine, but some are saying it is more like two packs of cigarettes.  And Juul uses nicotine salts which increases the hit of nicotine delivered to your blood, up to 2.7 times faster than other e-cigs.  That nicotine is giving kids more than a buzz, as 35 cases of nicotine-induced seizures have been reported.  While the number of seizures may not seem like a lot, developing a seizure after using a product is serious, and not all seizures may have been reported.

Nicotine in vaping devices can also stress the cardiovascular system, just as cigarettes.  It raises the blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate, and causes the arteries to narrow. Back in 2018 researchers weren’t sure if this would lead to long-term changes in heart rate and blood pressure, but more studies are showing that vaping could be bad for the heart.  Recent observational studies have found a link between regular vaping and an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery disease.

Researchers know that e-cigarettes emit microscopic particles that include heavy metals, like chromium, nickel and lead, that can travel deep into the lungs.  Our body’s defense mechanism is able to fight large particles, such as dust by coughing, but the fine particles in the aerosol don’t trigger our body in the same way.  Exposure to these tiny particles affects our cardiovascular system.

There is no combustion when you use e-cigarettes, but the vapor isn’t harmless.  It can irritate the lungs and the user can develop wheezing from the irritation.  Researchers tracked 28,000 adults to determine whether e-cigarette use made wheezing worse and when they compared users to people who didn’t smoke or vape at all, “the risk of wheezing among the vapers doubled.”  Researchers are also concerned about e-cigarette users developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung inflammation from using e-cigarettes could worsen asthma, and “increase the risk of respiratory tract infection – like cold, flu and bronchitis.”

A randomized trial showed e-cigarettes performed better than other nicotine replacement therapy in helping people quit smoking, but only helped a small portion of participants in the vaping group quit.  Ten studies have also shown there is also strong evidence “that e-cigarettes may act as a gateway to traditional smoking with youth.”  While youth smoking has decreased in recent years, researchers don’t know if that will continue to decrease or whether we will see smoking rise in the future due to vaping.

What can you take away from all of this?  Vaping isn’t as safe as kids seem to think.  The vaping industry compares vaping to smoking cigarettes, but most of the kids who are vaping have never been smokers.  It would be better to compare vaping to breathing normal ambient air, then vaping comes out worse.   Now we just need to convince the kids the vaping industry hasn’t been truthful.

Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for more information.

 

Have you checked your blood pressure lately?

There are many things you can do to get healthy, like eating right, exercise, and checking your blood pressure.  Did you know that high blood pressure affects one in three Americans and is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.?  It is called the “silent killer” because there may be no symptoms at all.  If you haven’t checked your blood pressure lately, May is a great time to start because it is National Blood Pressure Month.

Blood pressure is “the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels,” according to Medical News Today.  Without this pressure forcing our blood through our circulatory system, oxygen and nutrients would not be sent through our bodies to our tissues and organs, and toxic waste products like carbon dioxide from our lungs and toxins we clear through our liver and kidneys would not be removed.  It allows our body to remain at a constant temperature and carries platelets that provide clotting in the event of an injury.  The condition of our arteries is just as important as the condition of our heart to maintain good blood pressure, but lifestyle choices can make a healthy blood pressure difficult to maintain.

One lifestyle change that can benefit your health is quitting smoking.  Smoking is not only bad for your lungs, it increases your blood pressure and makes you more likely to get heart disease.  The nicotine raises blood pressure and heart rate, narrows your arteries and thickens the walls, making it more difficult adequately pump the blood throughout your body.  And while many believe e-cigarettes are safer for smokers, nicotine in the e-cigarette liquids can also cause a significant increase in blood pressure and stiffening of the arteries.  E-cigarettes without nicotine did not produce a higher blood pressure.  If you are not a smoker, but are constantly exposed to secondhand smoke, you are absorbing nicotine and other harmful substances from the air around you.

There are many reasons to quit smoking and lowering your blood pressure is just one. Tobacco Free Florida has a quit plan that can help you quit your way and provide you with various options to quit.  Contact them by clicking HERE or by calling them at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-882-6669).   Your heart and your blood pressure will thank you.

Click HERE for more information on blood pressure.

 

IQOS has arrived

There is a new tobacco kid on the block called IQOS (pronounced eye-kos) that has finally been allowed to come out and play as long as they follow the rules.  The FDA has approved the first application to sell the device in the U.S., but has yet to make a decision on the second application to market it as less harmful than cigarettes.  The IQOS isn’t a new liquid vaping device; instead it heats compressed tobacco “without combustion, fire, ash, or smoke.”  The device first launched in 2014 and is sold in 40 markets around the world.

The device has three parts, a compressed tobacco insert with a filter called a “heatstick” or Heets, similar to a short cigarette, the pen-like device that heats the tobacco, and a charger.  The ceramic and gold plate blade inside the device heats the tobacco sticks up to 350 Celsius (662 Fahrenheit) according to the manufacturer which is much less than the 700 – 900 degrees C during puffs (1292-1652 degrees F) and between 400-580 degrees C (752-1112 degrees F) between puffs of a cigarette.  The heat inside the Heatstick is intense enough to melt a plastic piece used to cool the vapor before it reaches the user, according to independent researchers.  The picture on the right shows the gold plated heating device inside of a heatstick.  Currently, there are three flavors, Marlboro Heetstick, Smooth Menthol, and Fresh Menthol.

The products will be sold in the U.S. through Altria, and they aren’t cheap.  Prices on eBay range between $96 and $189, not including the heatsticks.  And if you want to dress up your IQOS, or maybe hide it, there are also skins available in a variety of styles like the NintendoDS skin cover to the right.  A little research on the web, and you will find other kits such as the “Iron Man” limited edition version 2018 on sale for $170 (on the left).   Did we mention you have to clean it after each stick or the stick might char?

Heatstick inserts are not cheap either.  Depending on the website, one carton of Heets (10 individual packs of 20) goes for about $89 – $135.  One Heet will give you as many puffs as a regular cigarette, about 6 minutes or 14 puffs before shutting off.  Sales will start in Atlanta this summer with an IQOS store and mobile stores.  The “Heetsticks, the Marlboro-branded tobacco sticks”, will be available in about 500 retail stores such as circle K, Murphy USA, Speedway and other sites.

Altria made headlines last year when they invested $12.8 billion to acquire a 35% stake in Juul, the fastest growing vaping device in the U.S. that now holds 78% of the e-cigarette market.  By joining with Altria, Juul will get prime shelf space in retail stores, but Altria had to give up their MarkTen and Green Smoke e-cigarette products and Verve oral nicotine products in order to buy into Juul.  Now with this heat-not-burn product, they hope to give smokers “healthier” options.

Philip Morris claims the IQOS (I quit ordinary smoking) system is a healthier option for smokers, but the FDA hasn’t approved the application to market it as less harmful.  Researchers claim there is a need for further safety testing.  What with the cost of the product, the need for cleaning the device after each use, and additional charging to use it after each heatstick, it is a lot of work for smokers.  Still, the IQOS has 10% of the market in Japan.  We will wait and see.

Click HERE for the article.