Just to let everyone know, PayPal has decided to disallow the sale of electronic cigarettes. According to their policy, electronic cigarettes fall under prescription drugs and therefore not allowed.

The bad part is if you are selling electronic cigarettes and they close your account due to it, they hold your money for 180 days. This is unacceptable by most business standards. They ought to send some sort of waring first instead of simply closing your account and holding your money for six months!

PayPal will not budge on this even if you appeal the decision. It looks like an unfair scam and a way for Paypal to illegally hold peoples monies.

As an electronic cigarette user and promoter, we should wonder and get clear information on if electronic cigarettes are legal in the United States of America.

They are banned in at least two states in the U.S. and illegal in a handful of countries around the world.

However, it is not 100% clear if they are illegal in the U.S. or not.

The day is upon us. No more flavored Cigarettes, this includes candy, fruit and most importantly Cloves. I know I used to enjoy a clove every now and again back in my college days. There is nothing like the taste of one! Sure they are bad for you, but they could be enjoyed sparingly every now and again. Well, that is no more. After today, September 21, you will no longer be able to buy these at your local tobacco shop.

So what are you to do now? Luckily, there is an alternative! If you have not heard of them, how about Electric Cigarettes? These are the perfect alternative to the banned flavored cigarettes because for one, they are still legal, for two, they are safer and for three, they come in every flavor under the sun! Hell, you can even mix up your own favority flavors if those don't float your boat. If you are not familiar with them, you can learn more about how they work here. If you already know all about them but have been waiting for your favorite cigs to be banned before you gave them a try, then today is the day! If you are not sure which one to get (there are many to choose from), then check out this write up on the best value electric cigarettes.

You might have almost forgotten how someone who just smoked a tobacco cigarette smells. If you have, let us remind you: It stinks! When you go near or someone gets close to you who just smoked a cigarette (even up to an hour) the smell is unmistakable and nearly unforgettable.

Luckily there are electronic cigarettes! Seriously!

Smoking in public has for so long been taboo that many electronic cigarette smokers are still apprehensive about using the electric cigarette in public. Electronic cigarettes do not offend nearby people with second hand smoke however the idea that any visible vapor is seen gives the false impression that if we see it, it must be smoke.

We need to break away from this idea that just because it is visible that it is smoke and it is bad. Electronic cigarettes do not emit offensive or noxious gases. The electronic cigarette should be used anywhere since this is what it was designed for. It should be common place and no one should be worried about being near someone smoking an electronic cigarette.

If you are an electronic cigarette user, take some time to educate someone near you to break the stigma and allow others to share in what you've discovered.

So it's pretty uncommon for someone to not know what an electronic or electric cigarette is anymore. A few months ago if someone saw you smoking indoors, they would freak out and proclaim "you can't smoke here!" and now, if they see you, they know its just an electronic cigarette. The idea of being able to smoke indoors is coming back.

The difference of course is now when you smoke indoors, you dont affect anyone around you. Instead you might inspire someone to drop tobacco and or possibly supplement tobacco cigarettes with the more sophisticated electronic counterpart.

Electronic cigarettes give a whole new meaning to "smoke'em if you got'em!"

Electronic cigarette flavors are coming out of the woodwork these days. We found a site that had over 20 different flavors including "butter".

Are the just too many flavors out there (necessary ones?). Many have started turning to non-nicotine cartridges and are using the electronic cigarette not as a smoking replacement or supplement but rather as a way to experience different flavors while still puffing vapor.

Some speculate the flavors will attract youth and can be a gateway to tobacco smoking. The electronic cigarette should only be used by adults of legal smoking age and in no way should they be marketed to minors even if there are such flavors as:"Banana Strawberry".

I always find it interesting how things can be spun into sounding deadly. Well, I also believe in getting past the spin and getting to the real truth. Such is the case with the recent E Cig findings of diethylene glycol (AKA Antifreeze Ingredient). When taken in this context, one would instantly come to the conclusion that this is very bad. A bit of research reveals that this is not as bad (or as deadly) as the report would have you believe. While diethylene glycol is toxic in very large doses such as drinking straight antifreeze (see bottom of article for toxicity comparisons), what causes the toxicity is quite interesting. You see, upon ingestion, ethylene glycol is oxidized to glycolic acid which in turn, oxidized to oxalic acid. In effect, the toxicity comes from your body turning the stuff to oxalic acid. Even more interesting, however, is that oxalic acid is quite common in food plants. Oxalic acid can be found in tea plants, black pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, chocolate, most nuts, most berries, and beans. Did I mention that diethylene glycol, is 7X safer than caffeine and 28X safer than nicotine in terms of toxicity in its pure form! How about an article reading "Caffeine in Coca Cola is 7X more dangerous than chemical in Antifreeze", that's pretty scary!
So what are the dangers? Well, to date it is unknown how much of the stuff is found in E Cig cartridges. My guess based on the amount of liquid found in the cartridges and lack of action from the FDA is that it is extremely small. In general, healthy individuals can safely consume oxalic acid, those with kidney disorders, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or certain forms of chronic vulvar pain (vulvodynia) are typically advised to avoid foods high in oxalic acid or oxalates. So in conclusion, unless you have been advised to stay away from foods containing oxalic acid due to the above mentioned conditions, then there is little to no danger from the ethylene glycol found in E Cig cartridges. Once again, it pays to do your research instead of basing your actions on bogus and misleading reports.

Toxicity Comparisons

This list will show how "deadly" diethylene glycol is compared to other common substances based on their LD values or Median Lethal Dose values.

Table Salt- up to 3 grams for every 2 lbs of body weight. For example, a 150 lb individual would have to consume 8 oz in a single sitting.

diethylene glycol- up to 1.4 grams for every 2 lbs of body weight. For example, a 150 lb individual would have to consume almost 4 oz in a single sitting.

Caffeine- up to .2 grams for every 2 lbs of body weight. For example, a 150 lb individual would have to consume almost .5 oz in a single sitting.

Nicotine- up to .05 grams for every 2 lbs of body weight. For example, a 150 lb individual would have to consume almost .14 oz in a single sitting.

E cigs/Electric Cigarettes have been under some scrutiny due to it's recent popularity. A recent FDA report suggest that E Cigs contain Nitrosamines which are a known carcinogen in animals. While initially, this seems scary, doing a bit of research reveals that this is actually quite a common substance found in lots of ordinary products people use and eat every day. Another interesting fact is that it has not been proven that the substance causes cancer in humans. Suffice it to say, despite the findings of this substance in E Cigs, the FDA has not taken any steps to ban or limit sales. This suggests that the Nitrosamine dosages are extremely small , pose no immediate danger and despite these findings, electric cigarettes are far less harmful than regular cigarettes. If I didn't know any better, I would say that the tobacco industry is behind the recent pressure to get e cigs regulated. Anyhow, back to the Nitrosamines, below are some every day products which you will be shocked to find out also contain this substance.

* Fried bacon
* Cured meats (such as beef jerky)
* Beer
* Nonfat dry milk
* Tobacco products
* Gastric juices
* Rubber products
* Pesticide production and use
* Certain cosmetics

In conclusion, despite recent findings, electric cigarettes are quite safe and far much safer than regular cigarettes. If Nitrosamines are a concern to you, then you should also stop eating bacon, beer, fat free milk among other things. While you are at it, you may want to have your stomach removed because the body actually creates the substance by way of gastric juices!

Reference: Richard A. Scanlan, Ph.D. Dean of Research Emeritus and Professor of Food Science

E juice or the nicotine liquid used to refill cartridges has been around since the electronic cigarette but there are several reasons you might not want to refill your cartridges with it. Let's look at two major reasons why:

1. Possible overdose
2. Deterioration of quality

First and foremost, the use of the e juice cannot be measured 100% accurately by the user. Since this is the case, there is a real risk of overdosing and over stuffing the cartridge with juice. This can lead to inhaling or ingesting pure nicotine liquid. Cartridges come preloaded with the right amount of juice and are intended for one time usage.

The next reason and probably one people ignore is the deterioration of quality of the cartridge. Inside each cartridge is a fiber that holds the juice. This fiber comes into contact with the atomizer which heats the liquid and the fiber. Prolonged use of a cartridge can cause this fiber to put out a bad tasting vapor and can contaminate the juice.

To keep things safe, avoid refilling your cartridges if you can!