I tried smoking for the first time when I was 11. I had been bullied and found solace in hanging out with a group of kids who had been singled out for one reason or another themselves. Not one of them hid that cigarettes were their vice and while they did not push me to smoke, the offer was always there.

Eventually I had one, two, three, and four. Then I had a few more.

Smoking then was a come-and-go experience. If there were cigarettes around, I would smoke, but I could go months without a cigarette. At that point in my life, I didn't see what the big deal was about smoking. Of course I was at an age where I was invincible and cigarettes were my hobby after an exceptionally difficult day of hearing bullying slurs spew from a group of kids during gym, in the halls, at lunch, and even in class. Those days, that came and went inconsistently, were ones where I would sneak out of school 20 minutes early and hang out on the greenbelt with a group of kids who hated school, classmates, and life as much as I did and light up. Continue Reading

Bullying comes in many forms; teasing, name-calling, hitting, kicking, and spreading rumors are just a few examples. But to be bullying it must happen more than once and over a period of time. Unfortunately, children who are bullied often resort to making poor choices just to fit in with any crowd. For me, smoking was one way to be accepted by someone without hearing or experiencing:

"Oh look! It's the Jolly Green Giant!"

"Hey four-eyes."

"Where did you find that outfit; in the dumpster?"

"It's the stuck-up goody-goody writing in that notebook again. I can't imagine what she's trying to achieve next."

"Just push her down in that puddle of mud."

"She should live in the garbage can. She's just trash."

I was always one of the tallest in my class. I stood on the top riser in choir performances and Christmas pageants. I excelled at high jump. I was a versatile runner with long legs allowing me to sprint and run long distances. With my parents both above 6' tall, genetics were in my favor to tower above those with shorter parents. But instead of seeing what I could do, I spent years being called the Jolly Green Giant and it hurt.

Glasses in the 80's and 90's were not so fashionable as they are today or common. When I was in third grade, I was forced to don these hideous pink, plastic frames on my face to ensure I could see what was on the chalkboard. I listened to four-eyes for months before my glasses happened to not make it home one day after school. I hated wearing them, but hated being teased by the same group of kids that called me the Jolly Green Giant even more than the luxury of seeing. I had many outfits my mom made for me growing up. No matter what was purchased for me, it never fit. I had pants with elastic waste bands and matching shirts as clothing from stores would fall off or be too short in the leg. I never wore clothing from a dumpster, but I certainly donned outfits lacking any style or semblance of fashion. Continue Reading

Utah's Senate passed the final approval on a ban of using hookahs and e-cigarettes in indoor public places. The bill, HB245, has so far exempted hookah bars and e-cigarette shops from the ban for the next five years, though, at which point Utah's legislature will have to determine whether or not to expend this ban. HB245 passes with a 24-3 approval vote and has been sent to Gov. Gary Herbert for signing.

An act already in place in the state, Utah's Indoor Clean Air Act, previously banned only the act of igniting tobacco. The difference with hookahs and e-cigarettes is that hookahs heat tobacco in pipes that pas through water, while e-cigarettes vaporize a liquid with nicotine. No tobacco ignition is involved, which meant Utah's Legislature saw this as a big grey area.

The ban has caused quite the uproar as many prior cigarette smokers have turned to the e-cigarette as an alternative once cigarette smoking bans have gone into effect. Many politicians who have supported the ban of the e-cigarette claim that they are aiming to keep the public safe, as users of e-cigarettes simply don't know how much they're smoking and how much nicotine they are taking in. Continue Reading

Proposed Bill in Vermont Threatens Electronic Cigarette Users

cVermont House Bill 747 has been introduced and referred to the House Committee on Human Services, but has yet to be added to the agenda. This bill has multiple sections, one of which should be supported.

Section 6, as included below from H747, aims to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. We encourage you to fully support this section of the bill as electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance, and should only be used by adults.

Sec. 6.  V.S.A. § 1003 is amended to read:
§ 1003. SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS;
PROHIBITIONS
(a) A person shall not sell or provide tobacco products, tobacco substitutes or tobacco paraphernalia to any person younger than 18 years of age.

Section 9 seeks to prohibit the purchase, sale, and delivery of electronic cigarettes via the Internet, mail order, telephone, or any other electronic network. The penalties for each violation are up to 5 years imprisonment, a $5,000 criminal fine, and a $5,000 civil fine. Continue Reading

Image Source: DailyMail.co.uk

For many smokers, electronic cigarettes have become a way of life. An accident occurring in Niceville, Florida has many e cig users questioning the safety of their product at this time. We want to address the concerns of our customers and the electronic cigarette community today.

Tom Holloway, 57, was rushed to the hospital earlier this week after a cigar sized electronic cigarette blew up as he was vaping. He sustained burns to his face, lost teeth, and a portion of his tongue. Mr. Holloway has been released from the burn center in Alabama to continue recovering from his accident at home.

The 9-1-1 transcript was released where Mrs. Holloway reported that her husband was smoking an electronic cigar when it exploded. Chief Butch Parker of the North Bay Fire District responded to the call. “I have never heard of or seen anything like this before,” Parker told ABCNews. Although the battery was unrecognizable after the incident, Parker reported finding several 3.0 volt CR123A type batteries charging in the room along with a scorched battery case that appeared to be one for a cigar-sized device.

While this is the first reported electronic cigarette explosion and injury, another person recently reported a similar explosion that occurred while charging his modified device. On February 5, 2012, Chris Hornsby published a YouTube video showing the damage caused by his Ego-T that exploded while charging. The device exploded while connected to a USB charger. The battery shot out the bottom and hit his printer causing a fire. Continue Reading

A Love of The SafeCig, that is!

Electronic cigarettes are amazing and I'm not just saying that because I'm writing this blog. I've been an avid promoter and user of The SafeCig for almost a year. I placed my first order in May of 2011, but I didn't give up tobacco cigarettes immediately. I took my time learning about this product and how it worked. I also spent hours reading journals published world-wide to understand what medical professionals found with electronic cigarettes and their recommendations.

I was apprehensive to give up tobacco cigarettes after many failed quit attempts in the past. I didn't want The SafeCig to be another attempt that resulted in more things stuffed in a box, hidden in a closet a week or two down the road. I felt after many failed attempts at quitting that I just needed an alternative -- something without smoke, tar, and smell. When I was ready, really ready, I made the switch.

And I've never looked back.

For me, I've witnessed the first-hand changes that come with using an electronic cigarette instead of tobacco cigarettes. I've eliminated that morning smoker's cough, the wretched stench that lingered on my clothes, and I'm running again. Continue Reading

Finding information on why one should quit smoking is not hard to do. With so many harmful ingredients in cigarettes and so many detrimental side effects from it, it seems that finding a reason to initiate smoking would be difficult; however, the tobacco industry is finding new customers every single day [...]

HB 405 passed unanimously in Idaho. The bill now bans the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine to children, and while it passed unanimously, it had a very concerned critic at first. Representative Dick Harwood was very vocal about his concerns that the bill would create a “nanny state” in Idaho.

The claims he made originated from his sentiment that the ban was structured by groups and sponsors who, in all actuality, do not want anyone to smoke whatsoever. The sponsor, Representative Bob Nonini, did state that many of the groups and supporters do not want anyone to smoke at all, but Nonini himself is a smoker. Continue Reading

Continuing our series of entries received in our contest, What Prompted You to Try an Electronic Cigarette. This is our final post of entries received.

Entry 15 from Jonathan W.

The event that made me try an electronic cigarette would have to be the death of my Father, who died of lung cancer a year ago. He was a smoker for 26 years and half of the people in my family are also smokers. I did not want to have the same fate of my father or the other millions of people who have died because of cigarette smoking. So therefore I decided to be proactive and change my mindset of traditional cigarettes. Now I am 6 months cigarette free and loving it. Plus the Safe Cig is an amazing help. Continue Reading

Continuing our series of entries received in our contest, What Prompted You to Try an Electronic Cigarette.

Entry 14 from Brandon

When I was 12 years old, my father was diagnosed with cancer, mainly caused by smoking. He was a 25 year smoker, and finally it had caught up with him, the worst of the worst, it could cost him his life. After many doctor appointments and a successful surgery, he could proudly say that he had defeated cancer, and vowed to never smoke a cigarette again. When I was 14 years old, I began hanging out with the wrong crowd, and soon enough, a little peer pressure and the "need to fit in", coerced me to try my first ever cigarette.  Continue Reading