OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — As more cities ban smoking in restaurants and bars, there is a newer product to the United States that makers claim you can still smoke indoors. It’s under fire from cities across the country, the Food and Drug Administration and a metro parent.

If you’ve been to the mall lately, you may have seen a kiosk selling electronic cigarettes. We’ve found the kiosks at Independence Center and Oak Park mall.

If you walk past the kiosk at Oak ..read more

So I’m blabbing away the other day as a guest on the WIBW-AM 580 talk show “On the Other Hand” when I glance into the control room and see the producer taking a drag on a cigarette.

No joke. Even though the studio is smoke-free, the guy was sparking up right there in front of Raubin Pierce and Dave Relihan and God and everybody.

A case of insubordination? A quick fix while the boss was looking the other way?

No and no. He ..read more

James Watt, who is the Vice Chair of the Electronic Cigarette Association did a phone interview with Bill Cunningham on his radio show today. The interview was specifically about those who wish to include the electronic cigarette in smoking bans. You can use the audio player below to listen to the interview.

Transcript of October 26th, 2009 Interview of James Watt, ECA Vice Chair, on the Bill Cunningham Show on News Radio 700 WLW

BC is Bill Cunningham JW is James Watt

BC Let’s ..read more

Electronic cigarettes are opening a new front in the tobacco wars as state and local lawmakers try to restrict the product, which may allow users to circumvent smoking bans.

The battery-powered device is made up of a cartridge containing nicotine, flavoring and chemicals. It turns nicotine, which is addictive, into a vapor that is inhaled. Users say they’re “vaping,” not smoking.

E-cigarettes are used by at least a half-million Americans, says Matt Salmon, head of the Electronic Cigarette Association.

“People who smoke ought ..read more

Industry hails veto of anti-smoking alternative bill as victory for consumers, common sense

Washington, D.C. – October 12, 2009 | Matt Salmon, president of the Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA), today praised California Governor Schwarzenegger’s wise decision to veto Senate Bill 400, which would have banned electronic cigarette sales in the state, protecting adult consumers’ access to these alternative smoking devices.

“This is not just a victory for consumers and common sense but is smart public policy as well,” said Salmon. “Rejecting this ..read more

THE City Council this week voted 46-1 to ban many flavorings in a variety of tobacco products, and Mayor Bloomberg is likely to sign it into law. Speaker Christine Quinn justified it as an effort to protect children — but the main effect will be to make it harder for adult smokers to quit.

The ban also covers many flavors of snus — a smokeless, and thus far less harmful, tobacco.

Snus is a pouch of tobacco that goes between cheek and ..read more

Julie Woessner puffs on an electronic cigarette and feels a vapor full of nicotine wafting deep into her lungs.

Woessner and thousands around the country are passionate in their belief that the battery-powered sticks that deliver nicotine without burning have been lifesavers.

“If I hadn’t have had it, I’d still be smoking,’ said Woessner, 46, a homemaker living in Wildwood.

People like Woessner call themselves “vapers” because they “vape” or inhale vapor that includes nicotine from e-cigarettes. They

worry the government may try to ..read more