All blu electronic cigarette cartridges will feature proprietary 100% Made in USA Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice Flavors

Charlotte, NC (March 22) – The two most highly regarded companies in the fast growing electronic cigarette industry, blu Cigs and Johnson Creek Enterprises, the makers of Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice, announced an exclusive partnership today which will see all blu flavors crafted entirely in the USA by Johnson Creek.

Electronic cigarettes, also known as eCigs, have been lauded by smokers and many health officials as a better alternative to tobacco products.

blu Cigs president Jason Healy is clear on the importance of the partnership. “As successful as we both have been, this technology is still new and as it moves towards greater understanding and regulation, it’s important that leadership and integrity come together.”

“Johnson Creek is an American company that makes the finest e-liquid in the world,” says Healy. “We work diligently to make blu the best product on the market for smokers seeking a top-quality alternative.”

“We care about what our customers put in their bodies so it is imperative for us to work with the leading company whose product is 100% made in America and not in an unregulated Chinese factory like most, if not all, of the products in the market. It’s also very important as we move down the regulatory path to have the liquid manufactured here in the U.S. under tight controls and supervision.”

Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice is prepared fresh by hand start to finish by the company’s master mixers with food and pharmaceutical grade ingredients. No ingredients are added outside the Johnson Creek facilities and operations which are registered with the FDA pursuant to Section 305 of the United States Public Health Act of 2002.

“This is a great day for us,” says Johnson Creek chairman and CEO Christian Berkey. “We take pride in bringing the highest level of passion, integrity and commitment to our product. It makes perfect sense for us to partner with a company like blu Cigs that does the same.”

“We will continue to innovate and deliver the best product for the satisfaction of our customers.”

All current blu flavors – Classic Tobacco, Magnificent Menthol, Java Jolt, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush – will be hand crafted in Johnson Creek’s Wisconsin heartland facility with the Johnson Creek flavors expected to hit the shelves in April 2010.

About blu Cigs

blu is everything you love about smoking and nothing else. blu is the first electronic cigarette (eCig) created to give people what they really want – the sensation and feel of smoking, the taste and the hit – without giving them what they don’t want: the ash, bad breath, and lingering odor. And it does so with the attitude and fashion that fits the modern lifestyle. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, blu is the bridge between the old tobacco economy and the new high tech reality of the new south. blu Cigs are sophisticated yet simple. A small atomizer heats liquid containing nicotine and exclusive Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice flavorings to create a vapor, that looks like smoke, but which evaporates within a few seconds. The uniquely functional and attractive blu pack recharges the blu Cigs batteries while you’re on the go as well as holding additional cartridges. blu comes in various nicotine levels including Full Flavored, Light, and Ultra Light as well as Non-Nicotine. In a mobile, high-tech world, blu is smoking 2.0 – eCigs for a new generation.

www.blucigs.com

About Johnson Creek Enterprises

From the vintners of Sonoma Valley to the innovators of Silicon Valley, Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice® exemplifies what is possible when passionate people set out to make a good product better.

Johnson Creek Enterprises, LLC, home of Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice and headquartered in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, revolutionized the e-smoking industry as the first company to produce and manufacture smoke juice in the United States. Today, the team in Johnson Creek is always working to provide new, industry leading products with a friendly, trusted smile. Johnson Creek Enterprises, LLC is an accredited Better Business Bureau business and continues to lead the e-smoking industry with the best tasting smoke juice you’ll ever try and the last brand you’ll ever buy.

www.johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com

Both blu Cigs and Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice are strictly intended for use by committed adult smokers of legal age. Neither should be used by anyone who is pregnant or has any health concerns without first consulting the advice of a physician.

….how are these four connected?

With all the products the FDA routinely approves of that we later discover are harmful or even deadly, you have to wonder why the agency is focusing so much on the minute traces of diethylene glycol found in ONE sample since clearly th is i

s a very common ingredient many of us are ingesting regularly.

Diethylene glycol may be a toxic ingredient but exactly how toxic is it?

1. It is has one-tenth the toxicity of aspirin.
2. It has one-fortieth the toxicity of nicotine (the primary ingredient in electronic cigarette vapor).

Diethylene glycol is also found in everyday consumable products like:

- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Cough syrup
- Wine
- Dog food
- And many others…

That’s not to say that diethylene glycol is totally harmless and we shouldn’t have any concerns about it. But when the FDA starts focusing on words like ‘diethylene glycol’ and ‘anti-freeze’ it sure does sound scary. However, a little bit of education on the facts puts it back in perspective doesn’t it? By the way, water is another ingredient found in anti-freeze!

The back story…. Apparently the FDA found very small traces of diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, in one sample of electronic cigarette solution they analyzed. They are also concerned that teenagers will get addicted to electronic smoking. How serious are these issues? Are e-cigarettes harmful devices that should be banned? Let’s get the facts straight and put all this information into perspective.

The FDA tends to give the impression that they have regulatory control over nicotine. That is not always the case. FDA regulates smoking cessation products and claims.

That’s why electronic cigarettes are not marketed as a means to quit smoking rather, they are marketed as a smoking alternative.

Another “concern” expressed by the FDA is that electronic cigarettes target underage kids. Here is an FDA quote from one of their reports:

“These products are marketed and sold to young people and are readily available online and in shopping malls. They are also available in different flavors, such as chocolate and mint, which may appeal to young people”.

There is absolutely zero evidence that e-cigarettes target teenagers. Just the opposite… the marketing is focused on adults who already smoke and are searching for a healthier alternative they can use in public places. The initial cost of entry for a top of the line electronic cigarette is not practical for most teenagers.

I encourage you to do your own research and due diligence when it comes to the electronic cigarette. See if this is something that will benefit you. Look at all sides of the story and try to get unbiased information. Right now the FDA appears to be biased against electronic smoking for some reason. Do they have a hidden agenda? Who knows… but I think I detect trace elements of BS in the FDA reports!

Here is Part 2 of the FAQ about Electronic Cigarettes.

6. Can it be used anywhere? Technically, yes. There is no burning tobacco so

no second hand smoke is produced. Although it is totally acceptable in most public places, there are certain areas like restaurants that may not like the appearance of it. In these cases simply check with the staff first.

7. Does it target kids

? Absolutely not! There is a lot of misinformation regarding this topic. Some anti-groups are claiming that because a variety of flavors like fruit, vanilla, chocolate, etc. are available this is going to appeal to kids. That’s like saying because nicotine gum comes in a variety of flavors like mint or fruit it’s catering to a younger crowd. Adults enjoy a variety of flavor choices too! The bottom line is the initial cost for an electronic cigarette starter kit (usually around $100 or so) is not practical for most kids. The market is adult smokers looking for a healthier alternative smoking choice.

8. What is the best e-cigarette? This is where you need to use a bit of discrimination. There has been a lot of cheap designs coming out of China that are wrought with mechanical problems. Luckily there are a handful of high-quality manufacturers out there. A little bit of research will help you decide. Just remember that sometimes it’s worth spending a few more dollars one time to ensure you get a high quality device that is capable of giving you an enjoyable and problem-free smoking experience.

9. How much does it cost? A quality starter kit (including rechargeable battery, charger and 5 nicotine cartridges) will run you around $100 – $150. A package of 5 cartridges will run you around $10 – $15. I cartridge is about the equivalent of 1 – 1.5 packs of cigarettes. Do the math. That’s the equivalent of paying around $2 – $3 per pack of cigarettes.

10. Where can I buy one? Because it’s still fairly new, not many stores are carrying these yet. The best deals can be found
online. Go to (www.ecigbestsave.com) to check out some of the best electronic cigarettes available today.

The electronic cigarette is rising quickly in popularity as more smokers become aware of this healthier smoking alternative.

For the first time an alternative nicotine delivery system is available that closely simulates a real smoking experience. Many people believe this will lead to countless smoker’s lives being saved. The e-cigarette is looking very promising and is already revolutionizing the way many people smoke… permanently.

However, because it’s a relatively new device that is just coming into public awareness, there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the electronic cigarette. Is it safe? Can it help you qu

it smoking? Is there a danger of more kids getting addicted to nicotine? These are all sensible questions that need to be addressed in order for you to make an intelligent decision whether this is something you could benefit from.

The following is Part 1 of a list of 10 FAQs about the electronic cigarette:

1. How close to the real thing is it? Very similar… enough to satisfy the most hardcore smokers. There are many reports of smokers with 1-2 pack a day habits completely switching over to e-cigarettes permanently. The vapor tastes, feels and looks like tobacco smoke. It delivers that instant nicotine satisfaction that smokers crave.

2. Is it safe? Tobacco smoke has over 4,000 toxic chemicals. Electronic smoking has none of these because there is no actual smoke involved. Smoke is the real health hazard. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine by inhaling a vaporized water/nicotine solution without having to worry about tar, carbon monoxide, etc.

A report by the Royal College of Physicians states that nicotine by itself has not been proven to cause any long term ill health effects. Electronic cigarette vapor has about 20 ingredients (including nicotine) all of which are considered safe as long as the proper instructions are followed.

3. Can it help me quit smoking? Electronic cigarettes are NOT marketed as smoking cessation devices. They are meant to be used by smokers who are seeking an alternative that can be used anywhere. That being said, common sense dictates that it definitely has potential to be an integral part of a sensible stop-smoking program (similar to how nicotine gum and patches are used).

4. Is it approved by the FDA? The e-cigarette is a nicotine delivery device and doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA right now.

5. Why are certain groups so opposed to it? This is a complicated question. Certain groups may have the public’s best interests in mind and just want more clinical studies to be done. Others have a financial interest in trying to figure out the best way to capitalize on what is probably going to be a billion dollar industry soon.

Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Searching for a safer alternative to smoking tobacco many people are discovering electronic cigarettes.  But just how safe are e-cigarettes

? What are the health risks? Let’s look at digital smoking versus “real” (or analog) smoking so you can make an intelligent decision. This may possibly be a smarter smoking alternative for you.

The most harmful, and worst, aspect of smoking cigarettes is the approximately 4,000 toxic chemicals that are inhaled every time you burn tobacco.  It’s the actual smoke that is causing respiratory disease and lung cancer, not the nicotine.  With electronic smoking not one of these 4,000 toxic chemicals are produced because there is no smoke… nothing is actually burning.  No smoke means no tar, carbon monoxide, etc.

But what about the nicotine?  E-cigarettes can still deliver nicotine (if you chose).  How dangerous is that?  More independent studies on the effects of nicotine by itself need to be done.  Right now the health risks are still inconclusive.  Nevertheless, it’s pretty obvious that a method of delivering nicotine that doesn’t involve real smoke is going to be much safer than burning tobacco.

The FDA recently reported that traces of carcinogens where found in a sample of e-cig nicotine liquid.  They failed to mention these same carcinogens are also found in nicotine delivery alternatives like the patch and gum (which are both approved by the FDA).  Also keep in mind that many every day foods like peanut butter contain trace levels of carcinogens.  This is not to say that we should not be concerned about it.  Just keep it in perspective.  It’s important to remember that the dose of a particular carcinogen is an important factor in it’s toxicity. If carcinogens are present in e-cigarette vapor, it doesn’t appear to be in high doses.  Right now there is no evidence that these carcinogens are are even translated into the actual electronic cigarette vapor that is inhaled.

Are electronic cigarettes totally safe?  Until more studies are done it’s probably a good idea to err on the side of caution and assume that they are not 100% safe.  But when compared to “real” smoking there really is no comparison.  One thing we know for sure is that tobacco smoking is incredibly dangerous, expensive and inconvenient.  E-cigarettes give smokers an alternative that appears to be much safer and will probably save countless lives. Given a choice between the two…I think it’s a no brainer…

Electronic cigarettes have come a long way from the original Ruyan design – and indeed from the 1963 smokeless cigarette patented by Herbert A. Gilbert in 1963.

However, the basic concept is still the same.

Nicotine is dissolved in a solution consisting of water and propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is a solution which is used in many other food stuffs and medicines and, according to Dr Murray Laugesen of Health New Zealand, consists of two extremely safe molecules.

Critics of the electronic cigarette claim that this propylene glycol is also present in anti-freeze. That’ s pretty meaningle

ss. Flour can be used to make bombs, which doesn’t mean that flour is dangerous in and of itself.

We also like to point out the other ingredient found in both electronic cigarettes and anti-freeze – water!

When a user wants his intake of nicotine, he drags upon the e-cigarette. The inflow of air activates a microprocessor which prompts an internal atomizer to push tiny droplets of the nicotine/proylene glycol solution into the airstream.

The propylene glycol combines with the air to produce both the satisfaction, feeling and appearance of tobacco smoke. However, there is no tobacco involved in the process.

Within a few seconds of the solution being blown out, it disappears completely.

Experts believe that because there are very few carcinogens in those electronic cigarettes tested by the FDA (concentrations of those nitrogen specific carcinogens that were found were thousands of times lower than those in regular cigarettes, and similar in concentration to those found in many food stuffs), and because no combustion takes places, electronic cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes. However, long term studies that confirm those theories have not yet been carried out.

Some companies have also suggested that the electronic cigarette could help nicotine cessation.

New Zealand research shows that the electronic cigarette can help relieve nicotine cravings and increase the level of nicotine in the blood, while surveys suggest that electronic cigarettes can at least replace cigarettes.

However, until long term studies prove that nicotine cessation can be used with electronic cigarettes companies in the UK and the US may not legally market them as cessation devices.

When you are 18, chances are you can drink and smoke all evening – and still make love all night long.

However, for long term smokers the nights may not be so active.

Cigarettes, according to some experts, can cause the libido to drop and even lead to impotence in the long term.

In Smoking, Sex and the Electronic Cigarette, sexpert Professor Louise Van Der Velde (also known as the Love Doctor GMTV) argues that:

“Instantly, after just one cigarette, the body’s ability to function decreases, which means erections can be a problem. It also affects libido and general desire, as smoking massively effects the hormonal balance, and testosterone levels are responsible for libido.”

Other experts emphasize the long term damage.

According to Dr Murray Laugesson, a great support of the electronic cigarette:

“Smoking long term damages the blood vessels and moderate arterial insufficiency is a precondition for most impotence.”

The Electronic Cigarette

But can the electronic cigarette help your sex life?

The answer, according to Dr Murray Laugesson, is probably yes:

“With respect to e-cigarettes, the nicotine dose per puff is only about 10% that of a puff from a regular tobacco cigarette, and so e-cigarettes alone are unlikely to cause impotence.”

Things are looking good!

And they look even better in a survey conducted by ECigaretteDirect.co.uk.

The Electronic Cigarette Sex Survey

A survey into sex, smoking and the electronic cigarette found that 57.1% of people found that e cigarettes improved their sex life.

According to one respondent:

“If I had a sex life, I know it would improve, simply because I can breathe now and don’t feel like crap or cough all the time. While smoking, sex was as embarrassing as running up a flight of stairs next to a non-smoker and not being able to catch my breath. Now I could be much more active in bed and not stink like an ashtray either!”

James Dunworth, the author of the article and the survey, and who also runs the email course: Sex, Smoking and the Truth About the Electronic Cigarette, told us that the survey was not entirely serious, and also that it covered too few a number of people to provide definitive results.

Still, if your sex life is suffering it could still be worth a try…

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“Electronic cigarettes are far safer than regular cigarettes, they can aid nicotine cessation and tobacco harm reduction and an FDA study against them is “pure propaganda.”

That’s the conclusion of one expert, Carl Phillips, an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta who runs the tobaccoharmreduction.org project in Canada.

In a wide ranging interview with ECigaretteDirect.co.uk, an online retailer of the electronic cigarette and an information resource website about e-cigarettes, Carl Phillips spoke on the issue of electronic cigarette safety, the threat of passive “vapor” smoking and the issue of quality control.

Regarding safety, he stated that:

“I think there’s absolutely no doubt that it [the e-cigarette] is a safer alternative to regular cigarettes.”

The Professor went on to explain that it would be unscientific to state that it was completely safe, and that there was a small risk of cardiovascular diseases from the long term use of nicotine.

This risk, he estimated, was around the same as the risk for drinking coffee, or around one percent of the risk of smoking regular cigarettes.

He acknowledged the existence of carcinogens in the electronic cigarette, but pointed out that the same carcinogens were also found in FDA approved nicotine cessation aids. In addition, the quantities of carcinogens found were:

“…so many orders of magnitude smaller than those, say, in smokeless tobacco, which has been shown to not cause a measurable risk of cancer, so we know that that doesn’t matter.”

Indeed, banning the electronic cigarettes based on the very low levels of carcinogens found in them would mean

banning half the food stuffs available, the Professor concluded.

The Professor did have some concerns, arguing that controls needed to be implemented

to ensure quality of product.

The full interview with Professor Phillips can be read here: www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/carl

James Dunworth: www.ECigaretteDirect.co.uk

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Despite the support of many academics and scientists for the potential of the electronic cigarette to save lives, there appears to be a well orchestrated campaign against the device.

Numerous articles have been written against the electronic cigarette, the majority failing to quote either the Electronic Cigarette Association or tobacco harm reduction experts.

One article even (falsely) argued that the electronic cigarette contained 40 times as much nicotine as regular

cigarettes.

In contrast, the FDA study on the electronic cigarette found that the electronic cigarette contained less nicotine than a regular cigarette, while Health New Zealand scientist Dr Murray Laugesson worries that the main problem with the device is that it does not contain enough nicotine.

With that in mind, we decided to make a list of who could be harmed by the electronic cigarette.

1. The Tobacco Companies:

Potentially, the tobacco companies could be against the electronic cigarette. After all, they have a 400 billion dollar worldwide market in tobacco to protect!

However, the tobacco companies have been remarkably quiet on the subject of the electronic cigarette. Potentially they are eyeing up the device as a potential replacement to cigarettes.

Marlboro is rumored to be thinking of buying Ruyan, the original electronic cigarette company and holder of a much abused patent. A successful buyout would leave Marlboro with two options:

a. Try and shut down the nascent electronic cigarette company via lawsuits regarding the violation of its patent.

This would remove a potential competitor.

b. Use the success and popularity of the electronic cigarette to launch its own device.

2. Big Pharm

Their three billion dollar nicotine cessation industry is also threatened by the electronic cigarette.

The nicotine cessation industry was manufactured by the tobacco companies in the first place, after they funded health companies to campaign vigorously against smoking in public places, building up anti-smoking extremism.

3. Public Health Groups

The huge funding of these groups is well chronicled – they receive millions of dollars from large pharmaceutical companies. (You can see a list of the funds they have received here.) Funds from interested parties, including those with hidden agendas, which, as Professor Carl Phillips has pointed out, they do not declare when campaigning against the electronic cigarette.

These groups have shown themselves to be unethical in the past, pulling the funding from a huge and long running passive smoking study when it was clear that the results would show that passive smoking was less a danger than they had previously thought.

(ASH UK is an exception to these groups, and has taken a balanced view towards electronic cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction.)

They are also anti-nicotine extremists, with ASH International arguing that sick smokers should be denied life saving medical treatment – even when they have quit!

4. Governments

Smokers pay a disproportionate amount of tax. It will be far harder for governments to tax a product which does not carry the same risk as cigarettes. The huge amount of tax raised in the UK funds the NHS service, and let’s face it, tobacco smokers die younger, saving huge amounts of pension payout.

In America also, tobacco tax is earmarked to pay for health reforms.

Clearly, the continued success of the electronic cigarettes would lead to increased taxes in other areas – not something any government hoping to get re-elected wants.

With all these powerful groups threatened by an upstart device, no wonder there is a powerful and well funded campaign against it.

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