With recent news that RJ Reynolds (maker of Winston Cigarettes) has acquired Niconovum AB, a Swedish-based nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) company, for approximately $44 million, as well as news that Philip Morris is in negotiation with Ruyan, the Chinese company that makes the N-Joy Electronic Cigarette, it is clear that Big Tobacco is in transition.

One could speculate that Big Tobacco is trying to find product lines that are more legitimate. This would explain RJ Reynold’s purchase of Niconovum. However, the e-cig world is fairly controversial, so it is unclear why Philip Morris is pursuing that product – other than huge sales of course. The FDA has taken action against importation of the e-cig and it has been banned in many municipalities, most recently New Jersey. Given the absurdity of Philip Morris’ Heatbar, (picture hoards of nerdy smokers with cell-phone type holsters to carry this nutty product), purchase of N-Joy makes more sense. The Heatbar has all the disadvantages of cigarettes with none of the advantages of current e-cigs.

The RJ Reynolds purchase is Niconovum is odd in many respects. As any tobacco expert will tell you, the modern cigarette is the most effective and efficient nicotine delivery device available. It delivers nicotine to the brain in as little as 7 seconds. Most NRT products take several minutes to a couple hours to effectively deliver nicotine to the brain. Niconovum markets innovative NRT products under the Zonnic brand name in Sweden and Denmark. Its nicotine gum, mouth spray, and pouches use proprietary technology for nicotine delivery. The founder of the company, Karl Fagerstrom, has long advocated for NRT products that delivered nicotine more quickly to more effectively replace nicotine from smoking. So perhaps RJ is simply looking for a broader assortment of nicotine delivery devices. Maybe they are trying to blur the line between safe products (NRT) and unsafe products (cigarettes).

For the past 75 years, the Tobacco Industry has been very devious in their marketing practices. They enabled millions of Americans to kill themselves in the ‘60s and ‘70s by marketing Light and Ulta-Light Cigarettes when they knew full well that these cigarettes did not reduce tar or nicotine in real-world smoking conditions. Take True Cigarettes:”Satisfies with reduced tar and nicotine with an air filtration system…..” or Winston Lights using the Flintstone characters to tell us (and the children watching the show) “tastes good like a cigarette should.” So, when the tobacco industry moves into more legitimate products one must suspect the worst. This is an industry that has profited by inflicting disease and death for decades, while repeatedly lying about it.

The e-cig has also not been without controversy. The manufacturers argue that it contains ingredients (nicotine, water, and propylene glycol) that are all safely used in the US in other products. Using that same kind of logic, one could argue that gun powder is safe. After all, saltpeter is used to cure beef, sulfur is used in many medications available over-the- counter, and charcoal is used to purify our drinking water. So how could they be dangerous together? Lest I be accused of saying that water, propylene glycol, and nicotine are lethal when combined, the fact is that we simply don’t know whether e-cigs are safe or not. The industry did not do any rigorous safety testing. Instead, they went right to market with dramatic statements that e-cigs were a safe alternative to smoking. I hope they are, but we simply do not know.

Another disturbing fact about e-cigs is that they come in fancy flavors.  Keep in mind that the manufacturers clearly state that the e-cig is for current smokers. Now, I ask you – how many current smokers smoke mocha or strawberry flavored cigarettes? (Can’t you just hear them? “Damn, I need a mocha cigarette!”)  I am not sure these kinds of cigarettes even exist anymore; if they do, they are not legal in the US. One can only suspect that the manufacturers of the e-cig is trying to recruit “new smokers,” such as children who are very attracted to “flavored” smoking products.

So the players continue to maneuver for position, and smokers continue to look for safer alternatives to regular cigarettes. In the final analysis the solution is simple (not easy, but simple): quit smoking using proven, effective, and safe methods. When smokers are ready, effective programs are ready and highly trained professionals are willing to help them quit. But with confusing messaging from the tobacco industry and e-cig manufacturers it is not hard to figure out why so few actually try.