Tobacco is tobacco, right? Not so in New York and a few other states. When the tobacco taxes were increased, loose leaf tobacco missed the hike and is taxed at a mere $2.80 per pound versus $25 per pound for manufactured tobacco cigarettes. Some wise people banned together and created a business out of the variation in taxes. Those businesses are now feeling the heat from New York officials.

Island Smokes with two stores, one in Manhattan and another on Staten Island, offer customers the opportunity to purchase loose leaf tobacco and access to cigarette rolling machines to make their own cigarettes. Customers can spend approximately 45 minutes rolling cigarettes out of paper tubes and loose leaf tobacco and walk out of the store with a nominal $4 per pack expense versus paying a minimum of $13 per pack for commercial counterparts. In a lawsuit filed on November 14, 2011 by New York City's legal department claims Island Smokes is participating in "blatant tax evasion."

The shops included in the lawsuit do not pay into the cigarette manufacturer trust fund, nor do they have local tax stamps. In New York City, the local tax stamp includes a $1.40 city tax atop a $4.35 state tax. The complaint states, Continue Reading

"The British Medical Association said that the confined environment in automobiles exposes drivers and passengers to 23 times more toxins than a smokey bar."

Many areas of the world currently have bans preventing smokers from lighting up in restaurants and bars, on public sidewalks and plazas, in some condos and multifamily housing units, and in public transportation vehicles. Some communities have banned the use of cigarettes in private vehicles where children are present. In the United States, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, and Oregon current prohibit smoking in vehicles with more bans proposed across the country.

The number of toxic chemicals emitted due to the combustion process that occurs when cigarettes burn cause a variety of health problems including crippling lung diseases and cancer. Eliminating some 4,000 toxic chemicals and at least 40 known carcinogens from the air and surfaces is aimed at protecting those who do not smoke, including the youngest population of the world. Continue Reading

According to the CDC's November 11 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68.8 percent of current smokers say they want to quit and 52.4 percent tried to quit during the past year. No matter how many people want to quit or attempt to quit, tobacco cigarettes are still creating an immense risk of many types of cancer including lung cancer.

Nancy Meenan shared her experience with losing her husband to lung cancer in a letter to the Editor at phillyBlurbs.com. The following is her statement:

My husband passed away in July of small-cell lung cancer. He was told by the oncologist that small-cell is directly caused by smoking and is a very aggressive cancer. By the time he showed symptoms, it was too late. The doctor also said there has been no progress in finding a way to cure small-cell lung cancer in the last 20 years.

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At The Safe Cig and with many other electronic cigarette companies, the term combustion byproducts is often used. Understanding what that term means in relation to cigarettes will further enhance your knowledge of eCigarettes and what is being eliminated.

Combustion byproducts are the secondary chemicals created through the process of burning any substance. In cigarettes, the combustion process is responsible for the chemical reaction that changes nicotine containing tobacco and cigarette paper into smoke with over 4,000 toxic chemicals. Included in that figure are a minimum of 40 known carcinogens (cancer causing agents) with some reports claiming as many as 70 carcinogens.  Continue Reading

Do you know an author or have a favorite book? Many writers are smokers, though the correlation between the two seems to accompany a time-old impression that writers must all be depressed and drink, too. There are many authors and writers who do not smoke and have never smoked in their life, but today, I want to share a list of authors (some quite famous) who died due to smoking related illnesses.

James Baldwin died at 63 due to esophageal cancer. Baldwin wrote Go Tell It On The Mountain and The Fire Next Time.

Erskine Caldwell died at 83 to lung cancer. Caldwell produced the author of Tobacco Road andGod's Little Acre. Continue Reading

National Fire Prevention Week: "Protect Your Family from Fire."

While this week's focus is on protecting your family from fire, we feel it is important to educate our readers on the dangers cigarettes pose to family, friends, pets, and the environment. The National Fire Protection Association informs us that the top cause of death to civilians by fire is a result of items used for smoking; for example, matches and cigarettes that are either not disposed of properly or just flat out forgotten.

Sometimes, smokers fall asleep with a cigarette burning. The results are devastating. Often, the devastation faced includes complete property damage, immense medical treatment for those who were able to escape the fire, and funeral expenses for those who did not.

Smoking itself is a real-life threat. Tobacco cigarettes are not always stubbed out completely when a smoker intends for that to happen. The introduction of fire-safe cigarettes has not been enough to eliminate the serious fire risk that stems from Continue Reading

Anticipated for months, The Safecig Micro was released the public September, 16, 2011.

Slimmer, smaller, and packed with power, The Safecig Micro is the smallest electronic cigarette in the world.

Just over a week prior to release, I received my Micro and a few flavors to sample. As an avid fan of the original, I squealed with excitement as I removed the wrapper from my pack. I instantly fell in love with the pack. While it looks Continue Reading