It was recently announced that tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds, makers of Camel and Pall Mall Cigarettes will be branching into the e-cigarette market. The company’s Chief Executive Daniel Delen said “our companies have been hard at work on developing a pipeline of new smokeless and other product innovation,”….
It would seem that Reynolds are not the only tobacco firm looking to crack into the e-cig market as earlier in the year Lorillard Tobacco Company acquired the American electronic cigarette company Blu.
At the time of acquisition many Blu customers viewed the move as controversial. Several turned to the company’s social networking pages to brand the company a “sell out” and voice their displeasure over the change in ownership. Many were incensed that their hard earned cash spent on a product that had help them pull themselves away from the tobacco “baddies” would now be pocketed by a giant of the very industry they had managed to quit.
Other
s took another view. Many of Blu’s loyal customers rushed to the defence of the company pointing out that regardless of who owned the company the product had still helped them and been a positive influence on their lives. Supporters of the change spoke of the tobacco industry now having a responsibility to offer healthier alternatives and promote the reduction in tobacco related illnesses and deaths.
This announcement from R.J. Reynolds comes at a time when the e-cig industry finds itself at a time of monumental growth. R.J. Reynolds claimed that their move into the e-cig market was “in line with our long-term strategy to transform the tobacco industry and reduce the harm caused by smoking”.
So are the tobacco “baddies” really trying to turn over a new leaf? Are these positives steps away from the harm caused by tobacco? Or are they just cashing in on the booming electronic cigarette industry? Do these companies have a place in the world of electronic cigarettes? What do you think?
It’s great that tobacco companies are getting on board with ecigs; at the very least they will stop attacking ecigs and using their lobbies to ban ecigs and then we will all be able to vape publicly in peace without being made to feel guilty or secretive about it.
I have to give a resounding yes. Yes they do belong in the industry.
You see its only fair competition. I am a big fan of the Skycig product. But hey, that’s more competition, so it just ensures that Skycig need to do there utmost to get me a quality product at the right price.
Are they cashing in? – Probably, that’s called business. Come on, if you are not making the max amount of money, then you either change or go out of business.
I can understand you don’t really want the competition as a supplier and a business, but to me, as a buyer and a consumer, then I welcome it.
Just saying….
Seems like a silly question to me. Cigarette companies make legal products bought in shops up and down the country. Smokers know the risk but still buy them. If tobacco companies can provide the funds to invest in safer products, including doing proper regulated studies and improve the quality into the bargain, why not? And big firms would have more money to market and promote the health benefits of e-cigs.
If more people reduce their exposure to all the harmful stuff in cigarettes, that must be a good thing.
The NHS is funded by tobacco duty, should we refuse a hip operation because it was tobacco money that indirectly funded them?
Should burger bars not sell salads?
It’s big firms that have made big bucks getting us hooked in the 1st place – so why feed them with more money and it’s joe public that pays for the NHS the government is just the middle man that takes a big chunk off it to make nukes.