Old tobacco playbook gets new use by e-cigarettes

[bhikkhu]

55. That's a compelling account, and I hope you are right

I have always heard the addiction laid blamed solely on the nicotine. I have friends who vacillate between smoking and chewing, and they say its about as hard to quit either, but switching between the two isn't hard.

If its not hard to switch from either to vaping, and then not as hard to stop vaping, then that's a very good selling point and very good news.

...on the other hand, if you look at how the market works, that "TONS of vaping companies" will be down to a few within a few years, and they will all be owned by the big tobacco companies. They have buttloads of cash, all the marketing and distribution experience, and every reason to buy up the competition. Use is expected to double every year, and growth goes to those who produce, advertise and distribute most prolifically, which will be the big tobacco companies.

With that said, and keeping in mind the whole thrust of the article the OP began with, why would big tobacco market e-cigs as way to quit smoking? Do people think they're idiots? They will market to young people first, as a way of bringing nicotine addiction back into the mainstream and growing market-share. E-cigs aren't as deadly as smoking, so that's less bad. And if the addiction is weaker as you say, then that's also not as bad. But problems remain, and I wouldn't want to see a bunch of kids sold into heart disease, when they just wanted to be like Mr. Cool (the Lorillard e-cig mascot)